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.
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, 1/3 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.", "items": [], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 347651, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4008/#media_group_347651", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "3x3 Layout view. This version is a subset of SDO filters. HMI imagery occupies the top row. EVE data is in the center. Selected AIA wavelengths other spots.", "items": [ { "id": 315306, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 472810, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004000/a004008/SDOJewelbox_3x3.0100.jpg", "filename": "SDOJewelbox_3x3.0100.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "3x3 Layout view. This version is a subset of SDO filters. HMI imagery occupies the top row. EVE data is in the center. Selected AIA wavelengths other spots.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 315304, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 472809, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004000/a004008/SDOJewelbox_3x3.0100_web.png", "filename": "SDOJewelbox_3x3.0100_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "3x3 Layout view. This version is a subset of SDO filters. HMI imagery occupies the top row. EVE data is in the center. Selected AIA wavelengths other spots.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 315301, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 472806, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004000/a004008/SDOJewelbox_3x3.mp4", "filename": "SDOJewelbox_3x3.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "3x3 Layout view. This version is a subset of SDO filters. HMI imagery occupies the top row. EVE data is in the center. Selected AIA wavelengths other spots.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 315302, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 472807, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004000/a004008/SDOJewelbox_3x3.mov", "filename": "SDOJewelbox_3x3.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "3x3 Layout view. This version is a subset of SDO filters. HMI imagery occupies the top row. EVE data is in the center. Selected AIA wavelengths other spots.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 315303, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 472808, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004000/a004008/frames/1920x1080_16x9_30p/", "filename": "1920x1080_16x9_30p", "media_type": "Frames", "alt_text": "3x3 Layout view. This version is a subset of SDO filters. HMI imagery occupies the top row. EVE data is in the center. Selected AIA wavelengths other spots.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 315305, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 472811, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004000/a004008/SDOJewelbox_3x3.webmhd.webm", "filename": "SDOJewelbox_3x3.webmhd.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "3x3 Layout view. This version is a subset of SDO filters. HMI imagery occupies the top row. EVE data is in the center. Selected AIA wavelengths other spots.", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } } ], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "svs", "funding_sources": [ "NASA Heliophysics" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Animator", "people": [ { "name": "Tom Bridgman", "employer": "Global Science and Technology, Inc." } ] }, { "role": "Producer", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "USRA" }, { "name": "Genna Duberstein", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Scientist", "people": [ { "name": "Phil Chamberlin", "employer": "NASA/GSFC" } ] } ], "missions": [ "SDO" ], "series": [ "SDO Jewelbox" ], "tapes": [], "papers": [], "datasets": [ { "name": "Continuum", "common_name": "SDO Continuum", "platform": "SDO", "sensor": "HMI", "type": "Other", "organizations": [], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "", "date_range": "2011-09-25T08:00 - 2011-09-26T01:00" }, { "name": "Magnetogram", "common_name": "SDO Magnetogram", "platform": "SDO", "sensor": "HMI", "type": "Data Compilation", "organizations": [], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "", "date_range": "2011-09-25T08:00 - 2011-09-26T01:00" }, { "name": "Dopplergram", "common_name": "SDO Dopplergram", "platform": "SDO", "sensor": "HMI", "type": "Other", "organizations": [], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "", "date_range": "2011-09-25T08:00 - 2011-09-26T01:00" }, { "name": "304 Filter", "common_name": "AIA 304", "platform": "SDO", "sensor": "AIA", "type": "Other", "organizations": [ "JOINT SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTER " ], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "http://jsoc.stanford.edu/", "date_range": "2011-09-25T08:00 - 2011-09-26T01:00" }, { "name": "211 Filter", "common_name": "AIA 211", "platform": "SDO", "sensor": "AIA", "type": "Other", "organizations": [ "JOINT SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTER " ], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "http://jsoc.stanford.edu/", "date_range": "2011-09-25T08:00 - 2011-09-26T01:00" }, { "name": "193 Filter", "common_name": "AIA 193", "platform": "SDO", "sensor": "AIA", "type": "Other", "organizations": [ "JOINT SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTER " ], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "http://jsoc.stanford.edu/", "date_range": "2011-09-25T08:00 - 2011-09-26T01:00" }, { "name": "171 Filter", "common_name": "AIA 171", "platform": "SDO", "sensor": "AIA", "type": "Other", "organizations": [ "JOINT SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTER " ], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "http://jsoc.stanford.edu/", "date_range": "2011-09-25T08:00 - 2011-09-26T01:00" }, { "name": "1700 Filter", "common_name": "AIA 1700", "platform": "SDO", "sensor": "AIA", "type": "Other", "organizations": [ "JOINT SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTER " ], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "http://jsoc.stanford.edu/", "date_range": "2011-09-25T08:00 - 2011-09-26T01:00" }, { "name": "131 Filter", "common_name": "AIA 131", "platform": "SDO", "sensor": "AIA", "type": "Other", "organizations": [ "JOINT SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTER " ], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "http://jsoc.stanford.edu/", "date_range": "2011-09-25T08:00 - 2011-09-26T01:00" }, { "name": "335 Filter", "common_name": "AIA 335", "platform": "SDO", "sensor": "AIA", "type": "Other", "organizations": [ "JOINT SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTER " ], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "http://jsoc.stanford.edu/", "date_range": "2011-09-25T08:00 - 2011-09-26T01:00" }, { "name": "94 Filter", "common_name": "AIA 94", "platform": "SDO", "sensor": "AIA", "type": "Other", "organizations": [ "JOINT SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTER " ], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "http://jsoc.stanford.edu/", "date_range": "2011-09-25T08:00 - 2011-09-26T01:00" }, { "name": "1600 Filter", "common_name": "AIA 1600", "platform": "SDO", "sensor": "AIA", "type": "Other", "organizations": [ "JOINT SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTER " ], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "http://jsoc.stanford.edu/", "date_range": "2011-09-25T08:00 - 2011-09-26T01:00" }, { "name": "4500 Filter", "common_name": "AIA 4500", "platform": "SDO", "sensor": "AIA", "type": "Other", "organizations": [ "JOINT SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTER " ], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "http://jsoc.stanford.edu/", "date_range": "2011-09-25T08:00 - 2011-09-26T01:00" }, { "name": "", "common_name": "", "platform": "SDO", "sensor": "Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE)", "type": "Observed Data", "organizations": [], "description": "", "credit": "", "url": "", "date_range": null } ], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Sun" ], "keywords": [ "Earth Science", "EUV Imaging", "Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging", "Far Ultraviolet Imaging", "FUV Imaging", "Heliophysics", "Hyperwall", "SDO", "Soft X-ray Imaging", "Solar Activity", "Solar Dynamics Observatory", "Solar Flares", "Solar Ultraviolet", "Sun-earth Interactions", "Visible Light Imaging" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 4128, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4128/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "Solar Dynamics Observatory - Argo view - Slices of SDO", "description": "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. || ", "release_date": "2013-12-24T00:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-02-02T22:12:40.795314-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 461559, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004100/a004128/SlicesOfSDO_rotor_stand.4Kx4K.02000_web.png", "filename": "SlicesOfSDO_rotor_stand.4Kx4K.02000_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "1/4 resolution full-disk movie illustrating how the different wavelength filters move around the solar image.", "width": 320, "height": 320, "pixels": 102400 } }, { "id": 4117, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4117/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "Solar Dynamics Observatory - Argo view", "description": "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. || ", "release_date": "2013-12-17T10:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-02-02T00:04:57.026482-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 461378, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004100/a004117/SDOargoFD_rotorzoom_stand.HD1080i.01800.jpg", "filename": "SDOargoFD_rotorzoom_stand.HD1080i.01800.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The movie opens with a full-disk view of the Sun in visible wavelengths. Then the filters are applied to small pie-shaped wedges of the Sun, starting with 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 let the set of filters sweep around the solar disk and then zoom and rotate the camera to rotate with the filters as the solar image is rotate underneath. This video is also available on our YouTube channel.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 11385, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11385/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Jewel Box Sun", "description": "Telescopes help distant objects appear bigger, but this is only one of their advantages. Telescopes can also collect light in ranges that our eyes alone cannot see, providing scientists ways of observing a whole host of material and processes that would otherwise be inaccessible. A new NASA movie of the sun based on data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, shows the wide range of wavelengths – invisible to the naked eye – that the telescope can view. SDO converts the wavelengths into an image humans can see, and the light is colorized into a rainbow of colors. As the colors sweep around the sun in the movie, viewers should note how different the same area of the sun appears. This happens because each wavelength of light represents solar material at specific temperatures. Different wavelengths convey information about different components of the sun's surface and atmosphere, so scientists use them to paint a full picture of our constantly changing and varying star.Yellow light of 5800 angstroms, for example, generally emanates from material of about 10,000 degrees F (5700 degrees C), which represents the surface of the sun. Extreme ultraviolet light of 94 angstroms, which is typically colorized in green in SDO images, comes from atoms that are about 11 million degrees F (6,300,000 degrees C) and is a good wavelength for looking at solar flares, which can reach such high temperatures. By examining pictures of the sun in a variety of wavelengths – as is done not only by SDO, but also by NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory and the European Space Agency/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory — scientists can track how particles and heat move through the sun's atmosphere. || ", "release_date": "2013-12-17T10:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:51:21.380394-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 461749, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011385/SDOargoFD_rotorzoom_stand.3x3HW.02449_web.png", "filename": "SDOargoFD_rotorzoom_stand.3x3HW.02449_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Watch this video on the NASA Godard YouTube channel.", "width": 320, "height": 192, "pixels": 61440 } }, { "id": 4009, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4009/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "The Active Sun from SDO: EUV Variability Experiment (EVE)", "description": "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, 1/3 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. || ", "release_date": "2012-11-20T10:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-01-19T22:09:13.840566-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 472814, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004000/a004009/SDOEVE_2011_268_HD1080_web.png", "filename": "SDOEVE_2011_268_HD1080_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "A plot of EVE spectral data with time. The EVE data (yellow) overlays the WHI 2008 reference spectrum of the Sun. Markers along the bottom indicate wavelength coverage for other SDO instruments such as EVE/SAM imager, AIA, and HMI.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 3978, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3978/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "The Active Sun from SDO: 94 Ångstroms", "description": "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.This movie is generated for a wavelength of 94 Ångstroms (9.4 nanometers) which highlights a spectral line emitted by iron atoms that have lost 17 electrons (also known as iron-18 or Fe XVIII) at temperatures of 6,000,000 K. Temperatures like this represent regions of the corona during a solar flare.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 instruments. They are setup to play synchronously on a Hyperwall, or can be run individually.The images are sampled every 36 seconds, 1/3 of the standard 12 second 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. || ", "release_date": "2012-11-20T09:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-02-02T22:08:03.275956-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 472643, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003900/a003978/SDOAIA094A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.01000.jpg", "filename": "SDOAIA094A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.01000.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Stand-alone full-disk movies of AIA 94Ångstrom imagery.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 3979, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3979/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "The Active Sun from SDO: 131 Ångstroms", "description": "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.This movie is generated for a wavelength of 131 Ångstroms (13.1 nanometers) which highlights a spectral line emitted by iron atoms that have lost 19 and 22 electrons (also known as iron-20 or Fe XX; and iron-23 or FeXXIII) at temperatures of 10,000,000 K. Temperatures like this represent material in a solar flare.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, 1/3 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. || ", "release_date": "2012-11-20T09:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-02-02T22:08:07.040171-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 472601, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003900/a003979/SDOAIA131A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "filename": "SDOAIA131A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Stand-alone HD1080 Movie of AIA 131Å imagery.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 3980, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3980/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "The Active Sun from SDO: 171 Ångstroms", "description": "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.This movie is generated for a wavelength of 171 Ångstroms (17.1 nanometers) which highlights a spectral line emitted by iron atoms that have lost 8 electrons (also known as iron-9 or Fe IX) at temperatures of 600,000 K. Temperatures like this show the quiet corona and magnetic structures like coronal loops.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, 1/3 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. || ", "release_date": "2012-11-20T09:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-02-02T22:08:10.685348-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 472653, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003900/a003980/SDOAIA171A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "filename": "SDOAIA171A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Stand-alone HD1080 movie of AIA 171Å imagery.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 3981, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3981/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "The Active Sun from SDO: 193 Ångstroms", "description": "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.This movie is generated for a wavelength of 193 Ångstroms (19.3 nanometers) which highlights a spectral line emitted by iron atoms that have lost 11 electrons (also known as iron-12 or Fe XII) at temperatures of 1,000,000 K as well as iron atoms that have lost 23 electrons (also known as iron-24 or FeXXIV) at temperatures of 20,000,000K. The former represents a slightly higher region of the corona and the latter represents the much hotter material of a solar flare. This wavelength also makes coronal holes (which appear as dark regions near the solar surface) more visible.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, 1/3 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. || ", "release_date": "2012-11-20T09:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-02-02T22:08:14.324768-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 472670, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003900/a003981/SDOAIA193A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "filename": "SDOAIA193A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Stand-alone HD1080 movie of AIA 193 Å imagery.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 3982, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3982/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "The Active Sun from SDO: 211 Ångstroms", "description": "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.This movie is generated for a wavelength of 211 Ångstroms (21.1 nanometers) which highlights a spectral line emitted by iron atoms that have lost 13 electrons (also known as iron-14 or Fe XIV) at temperatures of 2,000,000 K. These images show hotter, active regions in the sun's corona.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, 1/3 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. || ", "release_date": "2012-11-20T09:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-02-02T22:08:17.979816-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 472618, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003900/a003982/SDOAIA211A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "filename": "SDOAIA211A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Stand-alone HD1080 movie of AIA 211 Å imagery", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 3983, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3983/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "The Active Sun from SDO: 304 Ångstroms", "description": "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.This movie is generated for a wavelength of 304 Ångstroms (30.4 nanometers) which highlights a spectral line emitted by helium atoms that have lost 1 electron (also known as helium-2 or He II) at temperatures of 50,000 K. This light is emitted from the upper transition region and the chromosphere. Solar prominences are readily visible at this wavelength.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, 1/3 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. || ", "release_date": "2012-11-20T09:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-02-02T22:08:21.663673-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 472687, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003900/a003983/SDOAIA304A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "filename": "SDOAIA304A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Stand-alone HD1080 movie of AIA 304 ", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 3984, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3984/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "The Active Sun from SDO: 335 Ångstroms", "description": "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.This movie is generated for a wavelength of 335 Ångstroms (33.5 nanometers) which highlights a spectral line of iron that has lost 15 electrons (also known as iron-16 or Fe XVI) at temperatures of 2,500,000 K. These images show active regions in the corona.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, 1/3 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. || ", "release_date": "2012-11-20T09:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-02-02T22:08:25.435603-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 472584, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003900/a003984/SDOAIA335A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "filename": "SDOAIA335A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Stand-alone HD1080 movie of AIA 335 Å imagery", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 3985, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3985/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "The Active Sun from SDO: 1600 Ångstroms", "description": "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.This movie is generated for a wavelength of 1600 Ångstroms (160.0 nanometers) which highlights a spectral line of carbon that has lost 3 electrons (also known as carbon-4 or C-IV) at temperatures of 10,000 K. C IV at these temperatures is present in what's called the transition region between the sun's surface and the lowest levels of the sun's atmosphere, the chromosphere.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, 1/3 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. || ", "release_date": "2012-11-20T09:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-02-02T22:08:29.329987-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 472704, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003900/a003985/SDOAIA1600A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "filename": "SDOAIA1600A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Stand-alone HD1080 movie of AIA 1600 Å imagery", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 3986, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3986/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "The Active Sun from SDO: 1700 Ångstroms", "description": "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.This movie is generated for a wavelength of 1700 Ånstroms (170.0 nanometers) which is in the ultraviolet band showing the lower level of the Sun's atmosphere, called the chromosphere.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, 1/3 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. || ", "release_date": "2012-11-20T09:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-02-02T22:08:33.314242-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 472721, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003900/a003986/SDOAIA1700A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "filename": "SDOAIA1700A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Stand-alone HD1080 movie of AIA 1700 Å imagery", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 3987, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3987/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "The Active Sun from SDO: 4500 Ångstroms", "description": "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.This movie is generated for a wavelength of 4500 Ångstroms (450.0 nanometers) which corresponds to visible light, showing the Sun's visible surface, or photosphere. This wavelength can also be seen from the surface of the Earth, though not with the clarity possible from SDO. The dark regions on the left side are sunspots (Wikipedia) - essentially magnetic storms in the photosphere.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, 1/3 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. || ", "release_date": "2012-11-20T09:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-02-02T22:08:37.201367-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 472738, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003900/a003987/SDOAIA4500A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "filename": "SDOAIA4500A_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Stand-alone HD1080 movie of AIA 4500 Å imagery", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 3988, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3988/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "The Active Sun from SDO: HMI Intensity", "description": "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 shows the solar photosphere in visible light.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, 1/3 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. || ", "release_date": "2012-11-20T09:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-02-02T22:08:41.109953-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 472755, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003900/a003988/SDOHMIintensity_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "filename": "SDOHMIintensity_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Stand-alone movies of HMI intensity imagery.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 3989, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3989/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "The Active Sun from SDO: HMI Magnetogram", "description": "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 splitting of the spectral lines to determine the intensity of the magnetic field on the solar surface. White represents north magnetic polarity and black represents south magnetic polarity.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, 1/3 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. || ", "release_date": "2012-11-20T09:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-02-02T22:08:45.089433-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 472772, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003900/a003989/SDOHMImagnetogram_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "filename": "SDOHMImagnetogram_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Stand-alone HD1080 movie of the HMI magnetograms.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 3990, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3990/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "The Active Sun from SDO: HMI Dopplergram", "description": "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, 1/3 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. || ", "release_date": "2012-11-20T09:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2025-02-02T22:08:49.145735-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 472789, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003900/a003990/SDOHMIdoppler_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "filename": "SDOHMIdoppler_Jewelbox_stand.HD1080i.00100.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Stand-alone movie of the HMI dopplergrams", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } } ], "sources": [], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }