At 10:23 am ET on February 11, 2010 SDO rose into the sky atop an Atlas V booster. 108 minutes later we were a free-flying satellite! In the 2 years since we have taken about 70 million images of the Sun, in EUV wavelengths, Doppler and Zeeman filtergrams, and EUV spectra. We have seen late phases of flares, magnetic fields as they rise to the solar surface, and 2 comets. Enormous prominence eruptions have been a favorite, especially when the material brightens as it splashes back down onto the surface.
This year we will watch as Solar Cycle 24 approaches solar maximum, at least in the northern hemisphere. Venus will go across the face of the Sun on June 5-6. It will be another banner year of SDO data and science.
Happy Birthday SDO!
SDO is still GO!
