This video documents solar activity from August 12 to December 22, 2022, as observed by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Positioned in Earth's orbit, SDO has consistently captured high-resolution images of the Sun for almost 13 years, leading to numerous discoveries about its functions and its effects on the solar system.

Equipped with three instruments, SDO captures a Sun image every 0.75 seconds. The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) instrument records images every 12 seconds across 10 different wavelengths of light. This time-lapse, spanning 133 days, focuses on images taken at a wavelength of 17.1 nanometers, revealing the Sun's outermost layer known as the corona, using extreme-ultraviolet light. By combining pictures taken 108 seconds apart, the video condenses 133 days, approximately four months, of solar observations into a 59-minute presentation. The footage showcases bright active areas traversing the Sun's surface as it rotates, which takes around 27 days. The elevated loops above these bright regions signify magnetic fields capturing luminous plasma. These bright regions are also the origin of solar flares, manifesting as luminous bursts caused by magnetic fields reconnecting, a process termed magnetic reconnection.

Although SDO has continuously monitored the Sun, a few gaps in its data collection exist. Some dark segments in the video result from Earth or the Moon momentarily eclipsing SDO as they pass between the spacecraft and the Sun. Additional blackouts occur due to equipment downtime or data inaccuracies. SDO relays 1.4 terabytes of data to the ground daily. Instances where the Sun appears off-center stem from moments when SDO was calibrating its instruments.

SDO, along with other NASA missions, will persist in observing the Sun, providing further insights into our position in space and valuable information for ensuring the safety of astronauts and assets.

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