spacebreaking

This compilation tracks solar activity spanning from August 12 to December 22, 2022, using imagery captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Orbiting Earth, the SDO has consistently recorded the Sun in 4K x 4K resolution for nearly 13 years. This vast dataset has led to numerous groundbreaking revelations about our nearest star's behavior and its impact on the solar system. Equipped with a trio of instruments, the SDO seizes a snapshot of the Sun every 0.75 seconds. Among these tools, the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) captures images at 10 different wavelengths of light every 12 seconds. This specific 133-day timelapse highlights visuals taken at a wavelength of 17.1 nanometers, revealing the Sun's outermost atmospheric layer, known as the corona, through extreme-ultraviolet light. By compiling images with intervals of 108 seconds, this video encapsulates 133 days, roughly equivalent to four months, of solar observations, compressed into a 59-minute sequence. The footage showcases dynamic active areas traversing the Sun's surface as it completes a rotation, which takes approximately 27 days. The elevated loops above these bright regions signify magnetic fields entrapping superheated, luminous plasma. These luminous zones are also the origins of solar flares, manifesting as brilliant bursts when magnetic fields interconnect in a process termed magnetic reconnection. Despite the SDO's continuous focus on the Sun, a few instances have eluded its vigilant gaze. Dark segments within the video result from Earth or the Moon passing between the spacecraft and the Sun, causing temporary eclipses. Additional periods of blackout occur due to equipment downtime or data anomalies. Remarkably, the SDO transmits a colossal 1.4 terabytes of data to Earth daily. Certain images featuring an off-center Sun stem from moments when the SDO was engaged in instrument calibration. As time progresses, both the SDO and other NASA missions will persist in monitoring the Sun, furnishing further insights about our cosmic position and delivering crucial information to ensure the safety of our astronauts and assets.