Why do we use satellites to look at the sun when we can do it from the ground?

NASA scientists answer some frequently asked questions about the sun, space weather, and weather, and the effects on Earth. Each video is one or more scientists responding to the question above it.
The scientists interviewed are:

Dr. Holly Gilbert, NASA Heliophysicist
Dr. Alex Young, NASA Heliophysicist
Dr. Phil Chamberlin, NASA Research Heliophysicist and SDO Deputy Project Scientist

Phil: We're actually protected by the Earth's upper atmosphere from a lot of the light especially the ultraviolet light that comes from the sun. But in the same regard we can't look at the sun in ultraviolet light from the ground because it all gets absorbed up in the atmosphere, so therefore we have to go to space, we have to get above the Earth's atmosphere in order to look at the sun in ultraviolet wavelengths. And you see a completely different sun then you can see here on the ground, its very dynamic you see big loops, you see large active regions, you see the solar flares really light up and in order to get these we have to go into space.

Animation Number: 10941
Completed: 2012-03-20
Video Editor: Scott Wiessinger (USRA)
Interviewees: Holly Gilbert (NASA/GSFC)
Alex Young (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
Phil Chamberlin (NASA/GSFC)
Producers: Scott Wiessinger (USRA)
Genna Duberstein (USRA)
Project and Technical Support: Swarupa Nune (Vantage)
Videographer: Rob Andreoli (AIMM)
Series: Narrated Movies
Goddard TV Tape: G2012-032 -- General Heliophysics Space Weather Interviews