SDO Lunar Transit, Prominence Eruption, and M-Class Flare

  • Released Thursday, January 30, 2014
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On Jan 30, 2014, beginning at 8:31 a.m EST, the moon moved between NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, and the sun, giving the observatory a view of a partial solar eclipse from space. Such a lunar transit happens two to three times each year. This one lasted two and one half hours, which is the longest ever recorded. When the next one will occur is as of yet unknown due to planned adjustments in SDO's orbit.

Note in the pictures how crisp the horizon is on the moon, a reflection of the fact that the moon has no atmosphere around it to distort the light from the sun.

The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 11:11 a.m. EST on Jan. 30, 2014. Images of the flare were captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, shortly after the observatory witnessed a lunar transit. The black disk of the moon can be seen in the lower right of the images.

A movie of the Jan 30, 2014 lunar transit. The movie shows the sun moving quite a bit because SDO has a hard time keeping the sun centered in the image during a transit, because the moon blocks so much light. The fine guidance systems on the SDO instruments need to see the whole sun in order keep the images centered from exposure to exposure. Once the transit was over, the fine guidance systems started back up, once again providing steady images of the sun.

The moon passes in front of the sun in this movie captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on Jan. 30, 2014. Shortly after that, a solar flare erupts, as seen by the bright flash on the left side of the sun.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 10:30 a.m. EST in 171 and 304 angstrom light. The two wavelengths are blended together. Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 10:30 a.m. EST in 171 and 304 angstrom light. The two wavelengths are blended together.

Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. EST in 171 and 304 angstrom light. The two wavelengths are blended together. Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. EST in 171 and 304 angstrom light. The two wavelengths are blended together.

Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. EST in 171 and 131 angstrom light. The two wavelengths are blended together. Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. EST in 171 and 131 angstrom light. The two wavelengths are blended together.

Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 9:44 a.m. EST in 171 and 304 angstrom light. The two wavelengths are blended together. Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 9:44 a.m. EST in 171 and 304 angstrom light. The two wavelengths are blended together.

Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 9:58 a.m. EST in 171 and 304 angstrom light. The two wavelengths are blended together. Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 9:58 a.m. EST in 171 and 304 angstrom light. The two wavelengths are blended together.

Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 9:00 a.m. EST in 304 angstrom light. Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 9:00 a.m. EST in 304 angstrom light.

Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 9:44 a.m. EST in 171 angstrom light. This group also contains 4k video and frames of the complete lunar transit.

Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 9:44 a.m. EST in 304 angstrom light. This group also contains 4k video and frames of the complete lunar transit.

Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 9:44 a.m. EST in 131 angstrom light. This group also contains 4k video and frames of the complete lunar transit.

Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 9:44 a.m. EST in 335 angstrom light. Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 9:44 a.m. EST in 335 angstrom light.

Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 9:44 a.m. EST in 193 angstrom light. Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 9:44 a.m. EST in 193 angstrom light.

Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 9:44 a.m. EST in 1600 angstrom light. Credit: NASA/SDO

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the moon crossing in front of its view of the sun on Jan. 30, 2014, at 9:44 a.m. EST in 1600 angstrom light.

Credit: NASA/SDO

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NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

This page was originally published on Thursday, January 30, 2014.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:51 PM EDT.

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  • 2014 Heliophysics Breaking News (ID: 2014015)
    Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 5:00AM
    Produced by - Robert Crippen (NASA)