133 Days on the Sun

This 133-day time lapse of the Sun at 17.1nm shows brilliant active regions, dynamic loops of plasma and numerous solar eruptions.

🌞 Explore the heart of our solar system like never before! Join us on an epic journey spanning 133 days as we take you on a mesmerizing odyssey to the fiery heart of the Sun. ☀️

This video captures solar activity from August 12 to December 22, 2022, using NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Orbiting Earth for over a decade, SDO has delivered invaluable insights into our closest star.

Equipped with three instruments, SDO snaps Sun images every 0.75 seconds, with the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) capturing shots every 12 seconds at ten wavelengths. This 133-day time-lapse focuses on 17.1 nanometer extreme-ultraviolet wavelengths, revealing the Sun's corona. In just 59 minutes, it condenses four months of observations, showing active regions moving across the Sun's surface as it rotates every 27 days.

The looped structures above these bright regions are magnetic fields trapping superheated plasma, occasionally triggering solar flares in bright flashes during magnetic reconnection events.

Occasional dark frames result from Earth or the Moon passing between SDO and the Sun or instrumentation issues. SDO transmits 1.4 terabytes of daily data to Earth, and off-center images happen during instrument calibrations.

SDO and NASA's missions will continue studying the Sun, enhancing our understanding of space and ensuring astronaut and asset safety in the years ahead. 🌞

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