This week, the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) celebrated [its sixth year](http://sdoisgo.blogspot.com/2016/02/happy-launch-anniversary-sdo.html) in space. No longer a wide-eyed noob when it comes to staring down the Sun, the satellite has yielded fascinating discoveries and [gorgeous visuals](http://motherboard.vice.com/read/this-incredible-4k-video-of-the-sun-took-nasa-300-hours-to-make) of our beloved parent star since it set up shop in geostationary orbit on February 11, 2010.

To mark the occasion, the SDO team released this captivating year-long timelapse of the Sun, which squeezes the period between January 1, 2015 and January 29, 2016 into a brief six minutes.

Each frame of the short is equal to two hours of SDO data, with one second amounting to about two and a half days of observation. Behold, the majesty of this dynamic fusion-ball we orbit:

The sun is always changing and NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory is always watching. Launched on Feb. 11, 2010, SDO keeps a 24-hour eye on the entire disk of the sun, with a prime view of the graceful dance of solar material coursing through the sun's atmosphere, the corona. SDO's sixth year in orbit was no exception. This video shows that entire sixth year -- from Jan. 1, 2015, to Jan. 28, 2016, as one time-lapse sequence. At full quality on YouTube, this video is ultra-high definition 3840x2160 and 29.97 frames per second. Each frame represents 2 hours. A downloadable version has a frame rate of 59.94 with each frame representing 1 hour.  See below for the link.

SDO's Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) captures a shot of the sun every 12 seconds in 10 different wavelengths. The images shown here are based on a wavelength of 171 angstroms, which is in the extreme ultraviolet range and shows solar material at around 600,000 kelvins (about 1,079,540 degrees F). In this wavelength it is easy to see the sun's 25-day rotation.

During the course of the video, the sun subtly increases and decreases in apparent size. This is because the distance between the SDO spacecraft and the sun varies over time. The image is, however, remarkably consistent and stable despite the fact that SDO orbits Earth at 6,876 mph, and Earth orbits the sun at 67,062 mph.

Scientists study these images to better understand the complex electromagnetic system causing the constant movement on the sun, which can ultimately have an effect closer to Earth, too: Flares and another type of solar explosion called coronal mass ejections can sometimes disrupt technology in space. Moreover, studying our closest star is one way of learning about other stars in the galaxy. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, built, operates and manages the SDO spacecraft for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, D.C.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Wiessinger
Music: "Tides," a track available from Killer Tracks

Learn more about SDO and see more imagery: http://www.nasa.gov/sdo and http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/

This video is public domain. It can be downloaded at its full quality and frame rate at: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=12144

SDO: Year 6 Ultra-HD

That's some mesmerizing solar artwork. As one commenter put it, "this was like watching 6 minutes of Hypnotoad @\_@ ."

Indeed, part of what makes the video so gripping is the fact that the Sun is displayed at an extreme ultraviolet wavelength, which highlights activity at searing temperatures of roughly 600,000 kelvins (or 1,079,540 degrees F). This perspective on our star also reveals some of the complex magnetic loops that crop up on at its surface, along with flares and coronal mass ejections&#x2014;which are the Sun's riff on projectile vomiting.

For a more holistic view, here's an older video that superimposes all of the SDO's wavelength filters over the Sun.

This video 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. 

The 2.9 minute movie was created by NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio or SVS at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and is available at the SVS website: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?11385

For more information about why scientists observe the sun in different wavelengths, visit: 
http://1.usa.gov/1gvGGVn

Like our videos? Subscribe to NASA's Goddard Shorts HD podcast:
http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/iTunes/f0004_index.html

Or find NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/NASA.GSFC

Or find us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/NASAGoddard

NASA | Jewel Box Sun

For six years, this satellite has allowed us to witness the Sun without having to worry about burning out our retinas. So happy anniversary, SDO, and here's to a stellar seventh year.

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The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) rings in its sixth year in space with a gorgeous, high res timelapse.

FYI.

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Watch This Hypnotic Yearlong Timelapse of the Sun in Ultraviolet

FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Watch This Hypnotic Yearlong Timelapse of the Sun in Ultraviolet

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