This video showcases the Sun's activity from August 12 to December 22, 2022, using images captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Positioned in space around Earth, SDO has consistently recorded the Sun's details in high-quality 4K resolution for nearly 13 years. This data has led to numerous new insights about the Sun's behavior and its impact on the solar system.
Equipped with three instruments, SDO captures a picture of the Sun every 0.75 seconds. The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) tool alone takes images every 12 seconds in 10 different light wavelengths. The presented 133-day time lapse features images taken at a wavelength of 17.1 nanometers, revealing the Sun's outermost layer called the corona in extreme-ultraviolet light. Condensing 133 days of solar observations (around four months) into 59 minutes, the video showcases bright active zones moving across the Sun's surface as it rotates. The Sun completes one rotation roughly every 27 days. The loops extending above these bright regions are magnetic fields containing hot, glowing plasma. These regions also produce solar flares, bright flashes caused by magnetic fields snapping together in a process known as magnetic reconnection.
Although SDO has been consistently observing the Sun, there are instances it missed due to Earth or the Moon passing between the spacecraft and the Sun, causing dark frames. Some blackouts occur due to instrument downtime or data errors. SDO transmits a substantial 1.4 terabytes of data to Earth daily. Off-center Sun images were captured during instrument calibration.
SDO, alongside other NASA missions, will continue monitoring the Sun, providing more insights about our place in space and enhancing safety for astronauts and assets.
The accompanying music is a continuous mix from Lars Leonhard's album "Geometric Shapes," used with permission from the artist.
Credit for the video goes to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, with Scott Wiessinger as the Lead Producer, Tom Bridgman as the Lead Visualizer, and Scott Wiessinger as the Editor.
While the video can be shared as a whole without permission, the music and some individual imagery might require permission for use in other projects.
Video Description:
The video displays the Sun's full circle on the left side. It appears golden yellow but uneven, with thin yellow wisps extending from its surface. Bright and dark areas are visible, and the Sun rotates steadily, taking 12 minutes for one complete rotation in the time lapse. Only a few bright regions are usually visible, shifting and flickering like small fires. These regions have wispy loops that change shape and size above the surface.
The right side of the frame contains two white-outlined squares with close-ups of interesting Sun regions.
133 Days on the Sun in 4K
Теги
NASASunSolar ActivitySolar FlaresSun's SurfaceSolar Observations4K VideoSpace ExplorationAstronomySpace ScienceSolar DynamicsSolar EventsSolar ImagingSolar PhenomenaSunspotsSolar CoronaSpace TechnologyAstrophysicsSolar ResearchSpace MissionsSolar DataSolar RadiationSolar StormSun's AtmosphereSolar PhysicsSolar FilamentsSpace FootageHigh-Resolution VideoSun's Magnetic FieldSolar EnergySolar Discoveries