SDO: Visualizations

This visualization starts from near Earth and the Earth orbiting satellite fleet out to the Moon, then past the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1 to out beyond the heliopause. This is the long-play version. || Sentinels2017.Sentinels2Voyager.GSE.AU.clockSlate_EarthTarget.UHD3840.00000_print.jpg (1024x576) [136.1 KB] || Sentinels2017.Sentinels2Voyager.GSE.AU.clockSlate_EarthTarget.UHD3840.00000_searchweb.png (320x180) [84.6 KB] || Sentinels2017.Sentinels2Voyager.GSE.AU.clockSlate_EarthTarget.UHD3840.00000_thm.png (80x40) [6.0 KB] || Sentinels2017.Sentinels2Voyager.HD1080i_p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [111.6 MB] || Sentinels2017.Sentinels2Voyager.HD1080i_p30.webm (1920x1080) [12.4 MB] || frames/1920x1080_16x9_30p/SlowPlay/ (1920x1080) [512.0 KB] || Sentinels2017.Sentinels2Voyager_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [336.2 MB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_30p/SlowPlay/ (3840x2160) [512.0 KB] ||

Movie showing the heliosphysics missions from near Earth orbit out to the orbit of the Moon.This video is also available on our YouTube channel. || Helio2015A.MMStour.slate_RigRHS.HD1080i.0500_print.jpg (1024x576) [112.6 KB] || Helio2015A.MMStour.HD1080.webm (1920x1080) [6.7 MB] || Helio2015A.MMStour.HD1080.mov (1920x1080) [196.3 MB] || frames/1920x1080_16x9_30p/WithoutTimeStamp/ (1920x1080) [128.0 KB] || Helio2015_4288.pptx [198.6 MB] || Helio2015_4288.key [201.3 MB] ||

There've been a few changes since the 2012 Earth-Orbiting Heliophysics Fleet. As of Fall of 2013, here's a tour of the NASA Near-Earth Heliophysics fleet, covering the space from near-Earth orbit out to the orbit of the Moon.The satellite orbits are color coded for their observing program:Magenta: TIM (Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere) observationsYellow: solar observations and imageryCyan: Geospace and magnetosphereViolet: Heliospheric observationsNear-Earth Fleet:Hinode: Observes the Sun in multiple wavelengths up to x-rays. SVS pageRHESSI : Observes the Sun in x-rays and gamma-rays. SVS pageTIMED: Studies the upper layers (40-110 miles up) of the Earth's atmosphere.FAST: Measures particles and fields in regions where aurora form.CINDI: Measures interactions of neutral and charged particles in the ionosphere. SORCE: Monitors solar intensity across a broad range of the electromagnetic spectrum.AIM: Images and measures noctilucent clouds. SVS pageVan Allen Probes: Two probes moving along the same orbit esigned to study the impact of space weather on Earth's radiation belts. SVS pageTWINS: Two Wide-Angle Imaging Neutral-Atom Spectrometers (TWINS) are two probes observing the Earth with neutral atom imagers.IRIS: Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph is designed to take high-resolution spectra and images of the region between the solar photosphere and solar atmosphere.Geosynchronous Fleet:SDO: Solar Dynamics Observatory keeps the Sun under continuous observation at 16 megapixel resolution.GOES: The newest GOES satellites include a solar X-ray imager operated by NOAA.Geospace Fleet:Geotail: Conducts measurements of electrons and ions in the Earth's magnetotail. Cluster: This is a group of four satellites which fly in formation to measure how particles and fields in the magnetosphere vary in space and time. SVS pageTHEMIS: This is a fleet of three satellites to study how magnetospheric instabilities produce substorms. Two of the original five satellites were moved into lunar orbit to become ARTEMIS. SVS page IBEX: The Interstellar Boundary Explorer measures the flux of neutral atoms from the heliopause.Lunar Orbiting FleetARTEMIS: Two of the THEMIS satellites were moved into lunar orbit to study the interaction of the Earth's magnetosphere with the Moon. ||

Since Sentinels of the Heliosphere in 2008, there have been a few new missions, and a few missions have been shut down. As of Fall of 2012, here's a tour of the NASA Near-Earth Heliophysics fleet, covering the space from near-Earth orbit out to the orbit of the Moon.Revision (November 9, 2012): The RBSP mission has been renamed the Van Allen Probes. NASA Press Release.The satellite orbits are color coded for their observing program:Magenta: TIM (Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere) observationsYellow: solar observations and imageryCyan: Geospace and magnetosphereViolet: Heliospheric observationsNear-Earth Fleet:Hinode: Observes the Sun in multiple wavelengths up to x-rays. SVS pageRHESSI : Observes the Sun in x-rays and gamma-rays. SVS pageTIMED: Studies the upper layers (40-110 miles up) of the Earth's atmosphere.FAST: Measures particles and fields in regions where aurora form.CINDI: Measures interactions of neutral and charged particles in the ionosphere. SORCE: Monitors solar intensity across a broad range of the electromagnetic spectrum.AIM: Images and measures noctilucent clouds. SVS pageRBSP: (Renamed the Van Allen Probes) Designed to study the impact of space weather on Earth's radiation belts. SVS pageGeosynchronous Fleet:SDO: Solar Dynamics Observatory keeps the Sun under continuous observation at 16 megapixel resolution.GOES: The newest GOES satellites include a solar X-ray imager operated by NOAA.Geospace Fleet:Geotail: Conducts measurements of electrons and ions in the Earth's magnetotail. Cluster: This is a group of four satellites which fly in formation to measure how particles and fields in the magnetosphere vary in space and time. SVS pageTHEMIS: This is a fleet of three satellites to study how magnetospheric instabilities produce substorms. Two of the original five satellites were moved into lunar orbit to become ARTEMIS. SVS page IBEX: The Interstellar Boundary Explorer measures the flux of neutral atoms from the heliopause.Lunar Orbiting FleetARTEMIS: Two of the THEMIS satellites were moved into lunar orbit to study the interaction of the Earth's magnetosphere with the Moon.Note: A number of near-Earth missions had their orbits generated from Two-Line orbital elements valid in July 2012. Orbit perturbations since then may result in significant deviation from the actual satellite position for the time frame of this visualization. ||

The newest members of NASA's Heliophysics fleet are the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), launched February 11, 2010, and the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), launched August 23, 2012.Revision (November 9, 2012): The RBSP mission has been renamed the Van Allen Probes. NASA Press Release. ||

HD movie of representative orbit of a sungrazing comet. || Kreutz.noslate_HEEmove.HD1080i.0350.jpg (1920x1080) [582.0 KB] || Kreutz.noslate_HEEmove.HD1080i.0350_web.png (320x180) [92.0 KB] || Kreutz.noslate_HEEmove.HD1080i.0350_thm.png (80x40) [4.5 KB] || Kreutz-Lovejoy_HD1080.mov (1920x1080) [13.2 MB] || Kreutz-Lovejoy_HD1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [13.2 MB] || frames/1920x1080_16x9_30p/ (1920x1080) [64.0 KB] || Kreutz-Lovejoy_HD1080.webmhd.webm (960x540) [2.9 MB] || Kreutz-Lovejoy_iPod.m4v (640x360) [3.0 MB] ||

Argos (or Argus Panoptes) was the 100-eyed giant in Greek mythology (wikipedia).While the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has significantly less than 100 eyes, (see "SDO Jewelbox: The Many Eyes of SDO"), seeing connections in the solar atmosphere through the many filters of SDO presents a number of interesting challenges. This visualization experiment illustrates a mechanism for highlighting these connections. This visualization is a variation of the original Solar Dynamics Observatory - Argo view. In this case, the different wavelength filters are presented in three sets around the Sun at full 4Kx4K resolution. This enables monitoring of changes in time over all wavelengths at any location around the limb of the Sun. The wavelengths presented are: 617.3nm optical light from SDO/HMI. From SDO/AIA we have 170nm (pink), then 160nm (green), 33.5nm (blue), 30.4nm (orange), 21.1nm (violet), 19.3nm (bronze), 17.1nm (gold), 13.1nm (aqua) and 9.4nm (green).We've locked the camera to rotate the view of the Sun so each wedge-shaped wavelength filter passes over a region of the Sun. As the features pass from one wavelength to the next, we can see dramatic differences in solar structures that appear in different wavelengths.Filaments extending off the limb of the Sun which are bright in 30.4 nanometers, appear dark in many other wavelengths.Sunspots which appear dark in optical wavelengths, are festooned with glowing ribbons in ultraviolet wavelengths.small flares, invisible in optical wavelengths, are bright ribbons in ultraviolet wavelengths.if we compare the visible light limb of the Sun with the 170 nanometer filter on the left, with the visible light limb and the 9.4 nanometer filter on the right, we see that the 'edge' is at different heights. This effect is due to the different amounts of absorption, and emission, of the solar atmosphere in ultraviolet light.in far ultraviolet light, the photosphere is dark since the black-body spectrum at a temperature of 5700 Kelvin emits very little light in this wavelength. ||

Argos (or Argus Panoptes) was the 100-eyed giant in Greek mythology (wikipedia).While the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has significantly less than 100 eyes, (see "SDO Jewelbox: The Many Eyes of SDO"), seeing connections in the solar atmosphere through the many filters of SDO presents a number of interesting challenges. This visualization experiment illustrates a mechanism for highlighting these connections.The wavelengths presented are: 617.3nm optical light from SDO/HMI. From SDO/AIA we have 170nm (pink), then 160nm (green), 33.5nm (blue), 30.4nm (orange), 21.1nm (violet), 19.3nm (bronze), 17.1nm (gold), 13.1nm (aqua) and 9.4nm (green).We've locked the camera to rotate the view of the Sun so each wedge-shaped wavelength filter passes over a region of the Sun. As the features pass from one wavelength to the next, we can see dramatic differences in solar structures that appear in different wavelengths.Filaments extending off the limb of the Sun which are bright in 30.4 nanometers, appear dark in many other wavelengths.Sunspots which appear dark in optical wavelengths, are festooned with glowing ribbons in ultraviolet wavelengths.Small flares, invisible in optical wavelengths, are bright ribbons in ultraviolet wavelengths.If we compare the visible light limb of the Sun with the 170 nanometer filter on the left, with the visible light limb and the 9.4 nanometer filter on the right, we see that the 'edge' is at different heights. This effect is due to the different amounts of absorption, and emission, of the solar atmosphere in ultraviolet light.In far ultraviolet light, the photosphere is dark since the black-body spectrum at a temperature of 5700 Kelvin emits very little light in this wavelength. ||

5x3 Layout view. This version has the imagery organized in order of increasing wavelength, from upper left to lower right for AIA. The HMI products occupy the bottom row. || SDOJewelbox_5x3.0100.jpg (2400x810) [317.7 KB] || SDOJewelbox_5x3.0100_web.png (320x108) [28.9 KB] || SDOJewelbox_5x3.0100_thm.png (80x40) [3.7 KB] || SDOJewelbox_5x3.0100_searchweb.png (320x180) [29.2 KB] || SDOJewelbox_5x3.webmhd.webm (960x540) [3.3 MB] || SDOJewelbox_5x3.mov (2400x810) [91.5 MB] || SDOJewelbox_5x3.mp4 (2400x810) [91.5 MB] || frames/2400x810_80x27_30p/ (2400x810) [128.0 KB] ||

The Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, has now captured nearly seven years worth of ultra-high resolution solar footage. This time lapse shows that full run from two of SDO's instruments. The large orange sun is visible light captured by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, or HMI. The smaller golden sun is extreme ultraviolet light from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly, or AIA, and reveals some of the sun's atmosphere, the corona. Both appear at one frame every 12 hours. SDO's nearly unbroken run is now long enough to watch the rise and fall of the current solar cycle. The graph of solar activity shows the sunspot number, a measurement based on the number of individual spots and the number of sunspot groups. In this case, the line represents a smoothed 26-day average to more clearly show the overall trend.Music: "Web of Intrigue" from Killer TracksWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || SDO_Year7_Graph_Still.jpg (3840x2160) [1.2 MB] || 12500_SDO_Year_7_Good_H264_1080.m4v (1920x1080) [239.0 MB] || 12500_SDO_Year_7_1080.mov (1920x1080) [366.0 MB] || 12500_SDO_Year_7_FINAL_appletv.m4v (1280x720) [142.4 MB] || 12500_SDO_Year_7_Compatible.m4v (960x540) [98.1 MB] || 12500_SDO_Year_7_FINAL_appletv_subtitles.m4v (1280x720) [142.5 MB] || 12500_SDO_Year_7_Compatible.webm (960x540) [24.9 MB] || 12500_SDO_Year_7_ProRes_3840x2160_2997.mov (3840x2160) [12.1 GB] || 12500_SDO_Year_7_FINAL_youtube_hq.mov (3840x2160) [6.8 GB] || 12500_SDO_Year_7-Good_H264_4K.m4v (3840x2160) [1.1 GB] || 12500_SDO_Year_7_H264_4K.mov (3840x2160) [474.8 MB] || WMV_12500_SDO_Year_7_FINAL_HD.wmv (3840x2160) [2.2 GB] || 12500_SDO_Year_7_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt [1.4 KB] || 12500_SDO_Year_7_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt [1.4 KB] ||

SDO 131 angstrom visual with overlaid plot of GOES X-ray flux during the time span. || AR12192_131_GOES.composite.01500_print.jpg (1024x1024) [274.5 KB] || AR12192_131_GOES.composite.01500_searchweb.png (320x180) [72.8 KB] || AR12192_131_GOES.composite.01500_thm.png (80x40) [6.4 KB] || AR12192_131_GOES.composite.01500_web.png (320x320) [102.2 KB] || AR12192_131_GOES-composite_1024.webm (1024x1024) [13.7 MB] || AR12192_131_GOES-composite_1024.mp4 (1024x1024) [312.6 MB] || AR12192_131_GOES.mp4 (4096x4096) [5.3 GB] || frames/4096x4096_1x1_30p/Composite/ (4096x4096) [256.0 KB] || AR12192_131_GOES-composite_1024_4232.pptx [62.0 MB] || AR12192_131_GOES-composite_1024_4232.key [64.5 MB] ||

To improve our understanding of complex phenomena such as solar flares, a wide variety of tools are needed. In the case of astronomy, those tools enable us to analyze the light in many different wavelengths and many different ways.Many different instruments are observing the Sun almost continuously, both from space and on the surface of the Earth. On March 29, 2014, the Dunn Solar Telescope at Sacramento Peak, New Mexico was observing a solar active region and requested other observatories to watch as well. As a result of this coordination, the region was being observed by a large number of different instruments, ground and space-based, when it subsequently erupted with an X-class flare. This visualization presents various combinations of the datasets collected during this effort. The color text represents the dominant color of the dataset in the imagery.Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO): HMI (617.1nm). This data represents the Sun is visible light similar to how we see it from the ground.Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO): AIA (17.1nm). Solar ultraviolet emission, which can only be seen from space, reveals plasma flowing, and escaping, along magnetic fields.IRIS Slit-Jaw Imager: 140.0nm. This high-resolution imager also contains a slit (the dark vertical line in the center of the field) which directs the light to an ultraviolet spectrometer which is used to extract even more information about the light. The imager slews back-and-forth across the region, providing spectra over a larger area of the Sun.Hinode/X-ray Telescope: x-ray band. Indicates very hot plasma.RHESSI: 50-100 keV. High-energy gamma-ray emission. Emission from these locations represent the very highest energy photons from the flare event.Dunn Solar Telescope: G-band filter. This filter, showing much of the solar surface (photosphere) in visible light, provides a detailed view of the sunspots and convection cells. The view moves because the instrument was repointed several times during the observation.Dunn Solar Telescope: IBIS ( Hydrogen alpha, 656.3nm; Calcium 854.2 nm; Iron 630.15nm). This is the small rectangular view within the Dunn Solar Telescope G-band view. This instrument can tune the wavelength during the observation, which provides views of the solar atmosphere at different depths. ||

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) observes the Sun with many different instruments, in many different wavelengths of light. Many of these capabilities are not possible for ground-based observatories - hence the need for a space-based observing platform.The Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Variability Experiment (EVE) measures extreme ultraviolet emission from the solar chromosphere, transition region and corona. This radiation is mostly absorbed in Earth's upper atmosphere and influences Earth's climate.This visualization is one of a set of visualizations (others linked below) covering the same time span of 17 hours over the full wavelength range of the mission. They are setup to play synchronously on a Hyperwall, or can be run individually.The images are sampled every 36 seconds, ⅓ of the standard time-cadence for SDO. This visualization is useful for illustrating how different solar phenomena, such as sunspots and active regions, look very different in different wavelengths of light. This differences enable scientists to study them more completely, with an eventual goal of improving Space Weather forecasting. ||

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) observes the Sun with many different instruments, in many different wavelengths of light. Many of these capabilities are not possible for ground-based observatories - hence the need for a space-based observing platform.The Helioseismic Magnetic Imager (HMI) aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory takes a series of images every 45 seconds in a very narrow range of wavelengths in visible light of the solar photosphere. The wavelengths correspond to a region around the 6173 Ångstroms (617.3 nanometers) spectral line of neutral iron (Fe I). From this series of images, it constructs a set of images which extract other characteristics of the photosphere. For this dataset, it measures the shifting of the spectral lines to determine the velocity of gas flows on the solar surface. This spectral line shift is due to the Doppler effect (Wikipedia). Blue represents motion towards the observer. Red indicates motion away from the observer. For the images below, the color is dominated by the solar rotation, so the solar limb on the right is moving away from us (and therefore red) while the left limb is moving towards us (and therefore blue). Motions on the solar surface generate the rippling in the color and you can see evidence of surface flows around the sunspot near the left limb. This visualization is one of a set of visualizations (others linked below) covering the same time span of 17 hours over the full wavelength range of the mission. They are setup to play synchronously on a Hyperwall, or can be run individually.The images are sampled every 36 seconds, ⅓ of the standard time-cadence for SDO. This visualization is useful for illustrating how different solar phenomena, such as sunspots and active regions, look very different in different wavelengths of light. These differences enable scientists to study them more completely, with an eventual goal of improving Space Weather forecasting. ||

This is a sequence of 4Kx2K images, cylindrical-equidistant projection, of the Sun that can be mapped to a sphere. The sequence was assembled by combining 304 Ångstrom (extreme ultraviolet wavelength) images from STEREO-A, STEREO-B, and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The series covers the time frame shortly after the STEREO spacecraft moved into a position where they had a complete view of the side of the Sun not visible from the Earth (see Sun 360).Technical DetailsThe data are sampled in time approximately every three hours. Since each spacecraft is at a slightly different distance from the Sun, the intensity received by each pixel was normalized to correspond to the intensity one astronomical unit from the Sun using the inverse-square law. The flux was also adjusted for the fact that each pixel captures a different fraction of the light due to their different angular size for each spacecraft. The image from each spacecraft is then reprojected using the World Coordinate System (WCS) routines of the SolarSoft library. Masks were made to smooth the transition where datasets overlap. There are a few gaps in the data, especially near the poles of the Sun, that are filled using data from the previous time step.Note: This sequence is suitable for animation and visualization purposes but NOT for scientific analysis. ||

Forecasting space weather is of vital importance in protecting NASA assets around the solar system. For this reason, NASA routinely tests various space weather models at the Community-Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC).This visualization is constructed from a computer model run of a coronal mass ejection (CME) launched from the sun in early March, 2012. The preliminary CME parameters were measured from instruments on the STEREO (the red and blue satellite icons) and SDO (in Earth orbit) satellites. The Enlil model was used to propagate those parameters through the solar system. From this model, they can estimate the strength and time of arrival of the CME at various locations around the solar system. This allows other missions to either safe-mode their satellites for protection, or allow them to conduct measurements to test the accuracy of the model. ||

Mid-May 2013 marked a series of active solar events, the likes of which have not been seen since near the peak of solar cycle 23 in October-November of 2003 (see Looking Back at 2003s Spooky Halloween Solar Storms).Five distinct coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, were launched from the sun from Active Regions AR 1748 starting May 13, 2013, through May 20, 2013. Some of the CMEs were associated with preceding M- and X-class flares. The CMEs were not a major threat to Earth technologies as most of them missed Earth, but they did impact various NASA satellites around the solar system. The last of the series of CMEs brushed by Earth. ||