{ "id": 10886, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10886/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "SDO Sees Comet Lovejoy Survive Close Encounter With Sun", "description": "One instrument watching for the comet was the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which adjusted its cameras in order to watch the trajectory. Not only does this help with comet research, but it also helps orient instruments on SDO—since the scientists know where the comet is based on other spacecraft, they can finely determine the position of SDO's mirrors. This first clip from SDO from the evening of Dec 15, 2011 shows Comet Lovejoy moving in toward the sun. Comet Lovejoy survived its encounter with the sun. The second clip shows the comet exiting from behind the right side of the sun, after an hour of travel through its closest approach to the sun. By tracking how the comet interacts with the sun's atmosphere, the corona, and how material from the tail moves along the sun's magnetic field lines, solar scientists hope to learn more about the corona. This movie was filmed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory in 171 angstrom wavelength, which is typically shown in yellow.Credit: NASA/SDO || ", "release_date": "2011-12-19T22:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:53:22.302326-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 480444, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010886/Comet_Lovejoy_Still_2.jpg", "filename": "Comet_Lovejoy_Still_2.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Slowed and looped video with music.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 }, "main_video": { "id": 480439, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010886/10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_MPEG4_1280X720_29.97.mp4", "filename": "10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_MPEG4_1280X720_29.97.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Slowed and looped video with music.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 }, "progress": "Complete", "media_groups": [ { "id": 350363, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10886/#media_group_350363", "widget": "Basic text with HTML", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "One instrument watching for the comet was the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which adjusted its cameras in order to watch the trajectory. Not only does this help with comet research, but it also helps orient instruments on SDO—since the scientists know where the comet is based on other spacecraft, they can finely determine the position of SDO's mirrors. This first clip from SDO from the evening of Dec 15, 2011 shows Comet Lovejoy moving in toward the sun.
Comet Lovejoy survived its encounter with the sun. The second clip shows the comet exiting from behind the right side of the sun, after an hour of travel through its closest approach to the sun. By tracking how the comet interacts with the sun's atmosphere, the corona, and how material from the tail moves along the sun's magnetic field lines, solar scientists hope to learn more about the corona. This movie was filmed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory in 171 angstrom wavelength, which is typically shown in yellow.
Credit: NASA/SDO", "items": [], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 350364, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10886/#media_group_350364", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Slowed and looped video with music.
For complete transcript, click here.", "items": [ { "id": 325113, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 480444, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010886/Comet_Lovejoy_Still_2.jpg", "filename": "Comet_Lovejoy_Still_2.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Slowed and looped video with music.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 325114, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 480448, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010886/Comet_Lovejoy_Still_2_web.png", "filename": "Comet_Lovejoy_Still_2_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Slowed and looped video with music.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 325115, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 480450, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010886/Comet_Lovejoy_Still_2_thm.png", "filename": "Comet_Lovejoy_Still_2_thm.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Slowed and looped video with music.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 80, "height": 40, "pixels": 3200 } }, { "id": 325103, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 480449, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010886/10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_ProRes_1280x720_59.94.mov", "filename": "10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_ProRes_1280x720_59.94.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Slowed and looped video with music.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 325104, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 480447, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010886/10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_H264_Best_1280x720_59.94.mov", "filename": "10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_H264_Best_1280x720_59.94.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Slowed and looped video with music.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 325105, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 480442, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010886/Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_H264_Good_1280x720_29.97.mov", "filename": "Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_H264_Good_1280x720_29.97.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Slowed and looped video with music.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 325106, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 480451, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010886/10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO.wmv", "filename": "10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO.wmv", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Slowed and looped video with music.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 325107, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 480443, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010886/10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_H264_960x720_29.97_Apple_TV.m4v", "filename": "10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_H264_960x720_29.97_Apple_TV.m4v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Slowed and looped video with music.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 960, "height": 720, "pixels": 691200 } }, { "id": 325108, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 480445, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010886/10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_H264_1280x720_30.mov", "filename": "10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_H264_1280x720_30.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Slowed and looped video with music.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 325109, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 480439, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010886/10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_MPEG4_1280X720_29.97.mp4", "filename": "10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_MPEG4_1280X720_29.97.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Slowed and looped video with music.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 325110, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 480441, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010886/10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_H264_1280x720_59.94_YouTube.mov", "filename": "10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_H264_1280x720_59.94_YouTube.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Slowed and looped video with music.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 325116, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 480452, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010886/10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_H264_960x720_29.97_Apple_TV.webmhd.webm", "filename": "10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_H264_960x720_29.97_Apple_TV.webmhd.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Slowed and looped video with music.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } }, { "id": 325111, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 480446, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010886/10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_H264_640x360_29.97_iPhone.m4v", "filename": "10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_H264_640x360_29.97_iPhone.m4v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Slowed and looped video with music.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 640, "height": 360, "pixels": 230400 } }, { "id": 325112, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 480440, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010886/10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_H264_320x180_29.97_iPhone.m4v", "filename": "10886_Lovejoy_Comet_SDO_H264_320x180_29.97_iPhone.m4v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Slowed and looped video with music.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } } ], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "GMS", "funding_sources": [ "NASA Heliophysics" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Video editor", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Producer", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Writer", "people": [ { "name": "Karen Fox", "employer": "ADNET Systems, Inc." } ] } ], "missions": [ "SDO" ], "series": [ "Narrated Movies" ], "tapes": [], "papers": [], "datasets": [ { "name": "", "common_name": "", "platform": "SDO", "sensor": null, "type": "Other", "organizations": [], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/", "date_range": null }, { "name": "171 Filter", "common_name": "AIA 171", "platform": "SDO", "sensor": "AIA", "type": "Other", "organizations": [], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "http://jsoc.stanford.edu/", "date_range": null } ], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Planets & Moons", "Sun" ], "keywords": [ "Comet", "Corona", "Earth Science", "Edited Feature", "EUV Imaging", "Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging", "HDTV", "Heliophysics", "Music", "SDO", "Solar Activity", "Solar Dynamics Observatory", "Solar Ultraviolet", "Sun-earth Interactions" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 11307, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11307/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "What is a Sungrazing Comet?", "description": "Sungrazing comets are a special class of comets that come very close to the sun at their nearest approach, a point called perihelion. To be considered a sungrazer, a comet needs to get within about 850,000 miles from the sun at perihelion. Many come even closer, even to within a few thousand miles. Being so close to the sun is very hard on comets for many reasons. They are subjected to a lot of solar radiation which boils off their water or other volatiles. The physical push of the radiation and the solar wind also helps form the tails. And as they get closer to the sun, the comets experience extremely strong tidal forces, or gravitational stress. In this hostile environment, many sungrazers do not survive their trip around the sun. Although they don't actually crash into the solar surface, the sun is able to destroy them anyway. Many sungrazing comets follow a similar orbit, called the Kreutz Path, and collectively belong to a population called the Kreutz Group. In fact, close to 85% of the sungrazers seen by the SOHO satellite are on this orbital highway. Scientists think one extremely large sungrazing comet broke up hundreds, or even thousands, of years ago, and the current comets on the Kreutz Path are the leftover fragments of it. As clumps of remnants make their way back around the sun, we experience a sharp increase in sungrazing comets, which appears to be going on now. Comet Lovejoy, which reached perihelion on December 15, 2011 is the best known recent Kreutz-group sungrazer. And so far, it is the only one that NASA's solar-observing fleet has seen survive its trip around the sun. Comet ISON, an upcoming sungrazer with a perihelion of 730,000 miles on November 28, 2013, is not on the Kreutz Path. In fact, ISON's orbit suggests that it may gain enough momentum to escape the solar system entirely, and never return. Before it does so, it will pass within about 40 million miles from Earth on December 26th. Assuming it survives its trip around the sun. || ", "release_date": "2013-07-16T13:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:52:00.158074-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 463840, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011307/Sungrazer_Still.png", "filename": "Sungrazer_Still.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Short, narrated video about sungrazing comets.Watch this video on the NASAexplorer YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 11255, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11255/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Three Years of SDO Images", "description": "In the three years since it first provided images of the sun in the spring of 2010, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has had virtually unbroken coverage of the sun's rise toward solar maximum, the peak of solar activity in its regular 11-year cycle. This video shows those three years of the sun at a pace of two images per day. Each image is displayed for two frames at a 29.97 frame rate.SDO's Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) captures a shot of the sun every 12 seconds in 10 different wavelengths. The images shown here are based on a wavelength of 171 angstroms, which is in the extreme ultraviolet range and shows solar material at around 600,000 Kelvin. In this wavelength it is easy to see the sun's 25-day rotation as well as how solar activity has increased over three years.During the course of the video, the sun subtly increases and decreases in apparent size. This is because the distance between the SDO spacecraft and the sun varies over time. The image is, however, remarkably consistent and stable despite the fact that SDO orbits the Earth at 6,876 miles per hour and the Earth orbits the sun at 67,062 miles per hour.Such stability is crucial for scientists, who use SDO to learn more about our closest star. These images have regularly caught solar flares and coronal mass ejections in the act, types of space weather that can send radiation and solar material toward Earth and interfere with satellites in space. SDO's glimpses into the violent dance on the sun help scientists understand what causes these giant explosions — with the hopes of some day improving our ability to predict this space weather.The four wavelength view at the end of the video shows light at 4500 angstroms, which is basically the visible light view of the sun, and reveals sunspots; light at 193 angstroms which highlights material at 1 million Kelvin and reveals more of the sun's corona; light at 304 angstroms which highlights material at around 50,000 Kelvin and shows features in the transition region and chromosphere of the sun; and light at 171 angstroms.Noteworthy events that appear briefly in the main sequence of this video:00:30;24 Partial eclipse by the moon00:31;16 Roll maneuver01:11;02 August 9, 2011 X6.9 Flare, currently the largest of this solar cycle01:28;07 Comet Lovejoy, December 15, 201101:42;29 Roll Maneuver01:51;07 Transit of Venus, June 5, 201202:28;13 Partial eclipse by the moonWatch this video on YouTube. || ", "release_date": "2013-04-22T14:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:52:13.276278-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 466375, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011255/Timelapse_Sun_1080-16x9.jpg", "filename": "Timelapse_Sun_1080-16x9.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Video of three years-worth of SDO data at a wavelength of 171 angstroms and then 4 different synchronized wavelengths: 171, 304, 193, and 4500. Information about the still image is below.Music: \"A Lady's Errand of Love\" - composed and performed by Martin LassFor complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 11158, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11158/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Sun Grazing Comets as Solar Probes", "description": "To observe how winds move high in Earth's atmosphere, scientists sometimes release clouds of barium as tracers to track how the material corkscrews and sweeps around — but scientists have no similar technique to study the turbulent atmosphere of the sun. So researchers were excited in December 2011, when Comet Lovejoy swept right through the sun's corona with its long tail streaming behind it. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured images of the comet, showing how its long tail was buffeted by systems around the sun, offering scientists a unique way of observing movement as if they'd orchestrated the experiment themselves. Since comet tails have ionized gases, they are also affected by the sun's magnetic field, and can act as tracers of the complex magnetic system higher up in the atmosphere. Comets can also aid in the study of coronal mass ejections and the solar wind.Watch this video on YouTube. || ", "release_date": "2012-12-04T15:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:52:33.497083-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 469988, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011100/a011158/LovejoyCloseup_stand.HD1080i.00600.jpg", "filename": "LovejoyCloseup_stand.HD1080i.00600.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Short narrated video.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 10895, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10895/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Sungrazer", "description": "On November 27, 2011, an Australian amateur astronomer named Terry Lovejoy discovered a comet the old-fashioned way: from the ground, with his own personal telescope. Finding a comet before it moves into view of space-based telescopes gives scientists the opportunity to prepare their instruments to make the best possible observations. The sungrazing comet—named Lovejoy, or C/2011 W3 in the technical vernacular—ultimately crossed the sightlines of the mirrors and lenses on no less than five satellite observatories. And the results were spectacular. As it moved toward the sun, many comet-watchers predicted it would evaporate as it flew within 87,000 miles of the roiling hot surface. But comet Lovejoy elated spectators when it survived its death-defying trip and re-emerged on the other side, as shown in the first video below, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite on December 15, 2011. || ", "release_date": "2012-01-19T00:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:53:19.503231-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 479866, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010800/a010895/Lovejoy_near_sun_1024x576.jpg", "filename": "Lovejoy_near_sun_1024x576.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Space telescopes capture Comet Lovejoy's dangerous encounter with the sun and its journey beyond.", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } } ], "sources": [], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }