five years of staring at the sun

February 12, 2015 10:29 AM

The Solar Dynamic Observatory's 5th anniversary of launch was celebrated with the release of a Five year video.

"Since that time, the SDO has been capturing one image almost every second, providing an unprecedented level of insight into the sun's activity -- over 200 million images and 2,600 terabytes of data. Over 2,000 scientific papers have been published based on the observations of the SDO, and even today, it continues to send back vital and fascinating information about the sun."

posted by dhruva (12 comments total)

I think it's a high time that we, as a species, returned to a primarily Sun-Worship based theology.
posted by mrjohnmuller at 10:35 AM on February 12, 2015 [3 favorites]

Also available at home in near real time: helioviewer.org
posted by Zalzidrax at 10:42 AM on February 12, 2015 [2 favorites]

This is a derail but I feel compelled to put up a link to Solar Probe Plus

Launch is 2018.
posted by newdaddy at 10:45 AM on February 12, 2015

Alternate music soundtrack
posted by hippybear at 10:53 AM on February 12, 2015

I love astronomy, and in reading about (and looking at!) objects far off in the depths of space, it's surprisingly easy to forget that we have one of these things in our own backyard. Wonderful video.
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 10:53 AM on February 12, 2015

But, Mama . . .
 
posted by Herodios at 12:15 PM on February 12, 2015

I think it's a high time that we, as a species, returned to a primarily Sun-Worship based theology.

I already see smiley faces as a hopelessly vain and laughably feeble attempt at propitiation -- and don't you think the opening shot was chosen for its wrathful and menacing countenance?
posted by jamjam at 12:48 PM on February 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

For an irrational moment, I thought that 5 years was going to be the length of the video.
posted by dagosto at 1:48 PM on February 12, 2015

I grew up think of the sun a pretty homogenous and static object, so every time I see these solar images my mind gets blown again.

> I love astronomy, and in reading about (and looking at!) objects far off in the depths of space, it's surprisingly easy to forget that we have one of these things in our own backyard.

I just had an OMG in the other direction. Every one of those placid dots in the night sky is actually a roiling surging beast like the one in the video.
posted by benito.strauss at 3:33 PM on February 12, 2015

Literally the music of the spheres. It's amazing that we can send a microphone that high or return it to earth afterwards. Truly, we are all blessed.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:24 PM on February 12, 2015

don't you think the opening shot was chosen for its wrathful and menacing countenance?

I got yer countenance right here.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 5:17 PM on February 12, 2015

It's axions all the way down.
posted by Zerowensboring at 10:10 PM on February 12, 2015