Nasa’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft has begun relaying early images confirming an unprecedented new capability to better understand the sun’s dynamic processes.
The spacecraft has also made the first high-resolution measurements of solar flares in a broad range of extreme ultraviolet wavelengths.
Nasa heliophysics division director Richard Fisher said these initial images show a dynamic sun that has not been seen in over 40 years of solar research.
“This mission will have a huge impact on science, similar to the impact of the Hubble Space Telescope on modern astrophysics,” Fisher said.
The SDO is the most advanced spacecraft designed to study the sun and its dynamic behaviour, and provides faster, better quality and more comprehensive science data than any currently fielded Nasa spacecraft.
The spacecraft is carrying a suite of three important instruments to perform measurements, including the atmospheric imaging assembly (AIA), the helioseismic and magnetic imager (HMI), and the extreme ultraviolet variability experiment (EVE).
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