NASA | SDO: Three Years of Sun in Three Minutes

Music: "A Lady's Errand of Love" - composed and performed by Martin Lass

In the three years since it first provided images of the sun in the spring of 2010, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has had virtually unbroken coverage of the sun's rise toward solar maximum, the peak of solar activity in its regular 11-year cycle. This video shows those three years of the sun at a pace of two images per day.
SDO's Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) captures a shot of the sun every 12 seconds in 10 different wavelengths. The images shown here are based on a wavelength of 171 Angstroms, which is in the extreme ultraviolet range and shows solar material at around 600,000 Kelvin. In this wavelength it is easy to see the sun's 25-day rotation as well as how solar activity has increased over three years.

During the course of the video, the sun subtly increases and decreases in apparent size. This is because the distance between the SDO spacecraft and the sun varies over time. The image is, however, remarkably consistent and stable despite the fact that SDO orbits the Earth at 6,876 miles per hour and the Earth orbits the sun at 67,062 miles per hour.

Such stability is crucial for scientists, who use SDO to learn more about our closest star. These images have regularly caught solar flares and coronal mass ejections in the act, types of space weather that can send radiation and solar material toward Earth and interfere with satellites in space. SDO's glimpses into the violent dance on the sun help scientists understand what causes these giant explosions -- with the hopes of some day improving our ability to predict this space weather.
There are several noteworthy events that appear briefly in this video. They include the two partial eclipses of the sun by the moon, two roll maneuvers, the largest flare of this solar cycle, comet Lovejoy, and the transit of Venus. The specific time for each event is listed below, but a sharp-eyed observer may see some while the video is playing.

00:30;24 Partial eclipse by the moon

00:31;16 Roll maneuver

01:11;02 August 9, 2011 X6.9 Flare, currently the largest of this solar cycle

01:28;07 Comet Lovejoy, December 15, 2011

01:42;29 Roll Maneuver

01:51;07 Transit of Venus, June 5, 2012

02:28;13 Partial eclipse by the moon

This video is public domain and can be downloaded.

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[nuclearhythmics]

great way to stare into the sun without burning your eyes out

[JackWestrop]

came for the sun, stayed for the music. Amazing that every species that has ever lived has awoken to the light from this ball in space

[michaelskywalker]

Sometimes I find these images of our star both beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

[patrickhodson]

This may be kinda weird but the most amazing part of this to me is how...round... it is. It's a perfect sphere. Amazing.

[getAMCIVideos]

This is an awesome video of 3 years look at the Sun. Well shown and put together. The music is great and enhances this look at the Sun, much.

[tobylicious]

_I_ cannot stare at the sun for three years, so I would say this is a technological achievement.

[YourFriendlyMe]

When I die I want to be launched to the sun, instantly Cremating me and giving the sun my body as fuel as thank you for letting me live in a planet that kept me fed and sheltered.

[rafarga]

Solaire of Astora would have loved to see this.

[DatGreyrunner]

I loved the part where the sun rotated... so moving :')

[vittaME]

Watching this video and thinking: How good that humans can not get it, polute it or damage it in any way.
Great video.

[LillianGreenHiLilly]

Not sure which I like best the music or the sun spinning and dancing. Both are beautiful

[aqsakazmi]

Thanks NASA, We all are very thankful to you that you are make us aware  from our  Earth, our born etc.
Thank you on behalf  of every person of this Earth.

[StopMot]

There we can see the birth of the Northern Lights.

[northernhemisphere]

thank you for being there. spinning, radiating, emanating.before and after us.

[SouthwesternEagle]

Fun fact: The sun is getting lighter and brighter every second.

[volkov_]

one of my favorite lapse video with that beautiful music.
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thank you... it's very interesting to compare...
_ awesome

[mainamuchiri]

I looked at the sun for a whole day and was accused of doing drugs. Here's someone who's looked at it for three years and he's not my drugs supplier but a genius! How so?

[kofeinbest]

Какое прекрасное наше светило. Даже видео дает огромный заряд энергии. И то, что оно такое маленькое в кадре, не должно умалять всей его значимости. Я думаю о Солнце, и благодарю его за дар жизни этому миру. Спасибо создателям проекта и видео.

[debbieallport]

3 Years of the Sun in three Minutes ...

[richardfry]

Question: is the sun rotating? I realize the video suggests that it does. But is our reality, in actuality that the earth is circling the sun, and thus the sun is not truly rotating?