Stationkeeping Maneuver #11 is Today

SDO will execute Stationkeeping Maneuver #11 today from about 2245-2315 UTC (6:45-7:15 p.m. ET). This Delta-V burn is used to keep the observatory within the assigned orbital box. During the maneuver the science data is usually not valid as the spacecraft slews away from the Sun to orient the thrusters in the correct direction.
The next eclipse season starting August 25, 2015, giving us more chances to see the Earth's limb against the Sun. Eclipse season ends September 17.

The next lunar transit on September 13 will have two firsts. The eclipse by the Earth will happen just before the transit and finish while the Moon is still crossing the Sun. At the same time a partial solar eclipse will be visible in the South between Antarctica and Africa. This will be the first time an SDO lunar transit could be seen as a solar eclipse on Earth. The movie of the combined eclipse and transit looks like a race between two spacecraft.

A month later we see another lunar transit on October 12 from 1718 to 1734 UTC (1:18-1:34 pm ET). This is more of a glancing blow but will be cool to watch.

Momentum Management Maneuver Today

SDO will perform a Momentum Management maneuver today at 1930 UTC (3:30pm ET). For about 30 minutes from 1920 (3:20 pm ET) science data will not be available. As soon the reaction wheels are at their desired speeds the science data will resume.

HMI Roll Maneuver Today

SDO will perform a roll maneuver today starting at 1630 UTC  (12:30 pm ET). The Sun may appear to rotate in images taken during this maneuver. The roll angle will be removed in the science data.

More Calibration Maneuvers

Today SDO will perform the EVE Field of View maneuver at 1315 UTC (9:15 a.m. ET) and the HMI/AIA Flatfield maneuver starting at 1630 UTC (2:20 p.m. ET. While the maneuvers are running the SDO science data is recorded but may not be usable for science studies.

EVE Cruciform Tomorrow; An SDO Cover Story

Tomorrow, July 1, 2015, SDO will perform an EVE cruciform calibration material. From 1800-2230 UTC (2:00-6:30 p.m. ET), SDO will look to and fro and up and down to allow EVE scientists to track the aging of their instrument.

Here is a collection of magazines and books that have used an SDO image as part of their cover art. There are 34 covers, and another due to come out this week! Three covers do not include an SDO image. The SDO Science Definition Team report is the beginning of the SDO mission and features SOHO artwork. The SDO Book in Solar Physics has a picture of the spacecraft on the cover. But the most intriguing is the book "Twenty-Five Astronomical Observations that Changed the World," a volume in the Patrick Moore Series on Practical Astronomy. It has a picture of Saturn, Titan, and Epimetheus on the cover. Inside it says that the EUV observations of comets near the Sun by AIA is one of the 25 observations that changed the world. That honor earned the cover a spot on the SDO Covers!

Temporary Data Outage

The SDO data system is undergoing an upgrade today, and there will be no images available until the upgrade is completed.  We're very sorry for any inconvenience.

A Flare, A CME, A Storm!

Yesterday we saw an M6.5 flare from active region 12372 followed by a filament liftoff, which turned into a coronal mass ejection, which became a a strong geomagnetic storm. Here are the NASA iSWA Kp values for the last four to show you how the Earth responded to the CME. Kp is a measure of the magnetic storm intensity, averaged over the many stations that measure the Earth's magnetic field. The NOAA SWPC has issued a G2 alert for today, meaning moderate storm activity should continue. The Kp index is described at the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam - GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences.
Soon after the flare, another filament rose off the surface. It will probably strike the Earth's magnetosphere tomorrow (June 24). This means the geomagnetic storm will continue for awhile. Great aurora come from these storms, but they also produce energetic particles and currents in ground-based pipelines and electrical wires.
Welcome to the declining phase of Solar Cycle 24!