Another X-class flare!

Active region 11875 let loose an X2.3 flare. Strong radio emissions were also measured during this flare. The flare started at 2142 UT (5:42 pm ET) and lasted about 20 minutes. The active region is on the limb (edge) and it rotating out of sight from SDO.

A Flaring Great Day!

So far today we have had 2 X-class flares, the latest at about 1513 UTC (11:13 am ET). Looks pretty in all the channels, so check them out on our new web server! Here's a look at the latest flare in AIA 304 Å.

SDO Server Replacement Going Slow

We are updating the SDO web server computers to get smoother service and more storage. There are some problems with the networking software that are being worked on at this time. We should have the website reopened no later than tomorrow.

Congratulations EVE Team

Congratulations to Tom Woods and the EVE science team for flying another calibration rocket into space!

NASA successfully launched a Black Brant IX sounding rocket at 2 p.m. ET from the White Sands Missile Range, N.M., carrying instrumentation to help calibrate the EUV Variability Experiment, or EVE, aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, satellite. The project scientist Tom Woods, from the University of Colorado at Boulder, confirmed that good data was received during the flight.

EVE measures the total extreme ultraviolet output of the sun, called its spectral  irradiance. As part of the SDO/EVE program, the rocket calibration flight occurs about once a year to accurately determine the long-term variations of the solar extreme ultraviolet irradiance. This kind of calibration is known as an under-flight. It uses a near-replica of the SDO/EVE instrument to gather a calibrated sounding rocket observation in coordination with the orbital satellite's observations. Comparison of the two data sets then validates the accuracy of the SDO/EVE data, providing crucial calibration of any long-term changes in the orbital instrumentation. This will be the fourth under-flight calibration for the EVE instrument. The previous flight was successfully conducted on June 23, 2012.

Southern Hemisphere Activity Picking Up

Hi Everyone- We are glad to be back!

SDO/HMI 18OCT2013 16:51:41 UT

Activity in the southern hemisphere has been picking up over the past several days with quite a few M-class flares. Here is a image of the sun today with quite a few sunspots visible on the lower half, or southern hemisphere of the Sun.

SDO/AIA 18OCT2013 17:29:24 UT

Also as you can see from the AIA image there are quite a few active regions coming into view on the limb of the Sun.  There may be some more solar activity in store over the next several days.  The activity that we have had over the past week or so has given us quite a show with some lovely Aurora.

SDO Mission Website Update - October 1, 2013

Due to the government shutdown, information and data presented on this website may not be up to date. For information about available government services, visit USA.gov. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.