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Solar Dynamics Observatory
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Take a look at an erupting solar prominence as observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite on March 30, 2010
Study a solar flare in different wavelengths of light as observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly, April 8, 2010
full-disk multiwavelength extreme ultraviolet image of the Sun
Study the sequence of images depicting the magnetic field structure on the surface of the Sun as captured by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager
solar flare and shock wave in Sun's atmosphere
Study the zoomed-in view of a large sunspot group taken by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, March 29, 2010
Study the magnetic fields in a sunspot pair as observed by the Helioseismic Magnetic Imager, March 29, 2010
Observe a dopplergram showing the velocity of solar material in the photosphere captured by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager
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Solar Dynamics Observatory

United States satellite
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Also known as: SDO
Written by
Erik Gregersen
Erik Gregersen is a senior editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica, specializing in the physical sciences and technology. Before joining Britannica in 2007, he worked at the University of Chicago Press on the...
Erik Gregersen
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News •

Sun’s Rage: Massive X2.3 Solar Flare Spotted by NASA • Nov. 7, 2024, 1:02 AM ET (SciTechDaily)
X1.8 Flare Unleashed: NASA Captures Powerful Solar Eruption • Oct. 29, 2024, 1:52 AM ET (SciTechDaily)
Sun Erupts With Massive X3.3 Flare, Captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory • Oct. 25, 2024, 11:09 PM ET (SciTechDaily)
Take a look at an erupting solar prominence as observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite on March 30, 2010
Take a look at an erupting solar prominence as observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite on March 30, 2010An erupting solar prominence observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite on March 30, 2010.
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Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), U.S. satellite designed to study the Sun. It was launched on February 11, 2010, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, by an Atlas V rocket into a geosynchronous orbit. SDO is the first satellite in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Living with a Star program, which studies space weather—that is, the effects of solar activity on Earth’s magnetosphere.

Study a solar flare in different wavelengths of light as observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly, April 8, 2010
Study a solar flare in different wavelengths of light as observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly, April 8, 2010A small solar flare as observed in different wavelengths of light by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite, April 8, 2010.
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SDO carries three instruments: the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI), the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), and the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE). HMI studies changes in the Sun’s magnetic field by capturing images of the Sun in polarized light every 50 seconds. AIA observes the solar corona in eight wavelengths of ultraviolet light every 10 seconds. EVE determines every 10 seconds how much energy the Sun emits at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths. These short times between observations allow SDO to study changes in the Sun that previously launched satellites have not been able to observe.

Erik Gregersen