Station Keeping maneuver #23, August 4, 2021

SDO will execute Station Keeping maneuver #23 today from 2230-2314 UTC (6:30-7:14 pm ET). During a maneuver SDO science data may be missing or blurred. These maneuvers are needed to maintain SDO's assigned position as it passes through the geostationary orbit belt.

EVE FOV and HMI/AIA Flatfield calibration maneuvers, July 21, 2021

SDO will execute EVE FOV and HMI/AIA Flafield maneuvers today. The maneuver should take about 4 hours. During a maneuver SDO science data may be missing or blurred. These maneuvers are needed to keep the instruments accurately nmeasuring solar data.

EVE Cruciform Maneuver, July 14, 2021

SDO will execute an EVE Cruciform maneuver. The maneuver should take about 6 hours. During a maneuver SDO science data may be missing or blurred. These maneuvers are needed to keep EVE accurately nmeasuring the solar EUV spectral irradiance.

Some Fireworks over the Weekend!

At 1430 UTC (10:30 am ET) on July 3, 2021, the first X-class flare (actually an X1.5 flare) of Solar Cycle 25 was seen on the Sun.

There were also several B and C flares, and even one M flare in the day before the X1.5 flare. You can see this series near the limb in the upper right (a clock position of about 2:00) in this daily movie in SDO's AIA 94 Å passband. These flares were also seen in the EVE on SDO and the XRS on GOES-16.

There was no active region associated with the X1.5 flare. A large region of magnetic field that was rotating off the disk is probably the home of the flares.

Solar Cycle 25 is starting to get more interesting!

Coronal Loops are Nice to Look At!

As Solar Cycle 25 starts becoming more active, coronal loops have become more common and beautiful. Here is a movie from June 24, 2021, showing the decaying remnants of AR 12833 rotating off the Sun in the upper right and the just-forming AR 12835 rotating into view in the lower left. You can see small filaments in and around the two active regions, with a very nice filament liftoff in the area following AR 12833.
There are many filaments visible around the limb of the Sun. In the lower left, around 7:30, you can see what looks like a coronal cavity (a filament surrounded by a dark, more-or-less circular, region.

Solar Cycle 25 is looking good!

SDO Stamps are on Sale!

USPS Forever stamps featuring SDO images were released by the Post Office on Friday in a ceremony at the Greenbelt, Maryland, Post Office. The stamps have 10 SDO images in each set:

The Summer Solstice (Northen Hemisphere) occurred at 11:32 pm ET yesterday (June 20, 2021). Celebrate the solstice with SDO Stamps. Send someone the Sun!

Guidance System Calibrations Yesterday

Yesterday, June 16, 2021, from 1700-2000 UTC (1-4pm ET), SDO ran calibration maneuvers for the pointing system. These tests were to restart one of the inertial reference units and then a roll of the satellite to help refine some of the parameters in the Kalman filter. During this time science data may be missing or blurry. The tests were successful and will help maintain SDO's pointing accuracy for years to come.

My congratulations to the Flight Operations Team for completing an excellent set of calibration maneuvers!