Celebrate the Winter Solstice at 11:59 am ET today!

Today is the Winter Solstice. The length of daylight is the shortest of the year in the Northen hemisphere and the longest in the Southern. For the Northern hemisphere it corresponds to the beginning of the cold winter season while people in the Southern hemisphere are starting to enjoy their summer time weather.
The occurrence and timing of solstices was known to many early cultures, from Mesopotamia to Mesoamerica. It was a time to celebrate when the Sun stopped moving southward and began moving back to bring warm to their homes. We know that the tilt of the Earth's rotation axis causes the seasons but we continue to celebrate their changes.

Enjoy the Winter Solstice!

Momentum Management Maneuver #42, December 15

SDO executed momentum management (MM) maneuver #42 on December 15 from 1945-2015 UTC (2:45-3:15 pm ET). During an MM maneuver SDO science data may be missing or blurred. These maneuvers are needed to keep SDO accurately pointed at the Sun and taking data.