Say ‘Cheese!’

Launched to little popular fanfare (outside of Astronomy enthusiasts) — fittingly — a day before Valentine’s Day 2010, the Solar Dynamics Observatory blasted off into orbit from Cape Canaveral taking with it an $817M commitment to better understanding the Sun and near-Earth dynamics. Onboard SDO are a Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (examining solar variability and the Sun’s deep interior alongside its magnetic componentry), an Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (measuring the Sun’s extreme ultraviolet irradiance) and an Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (capturing full-disk observations of the solar chromosphere and corona in seven extreme ultraviolet channels). That’s a lot to say that the orbiting observatory is doing GOOD stuff. Case in point: the above irresistible image that was captured just last week. Rendered in ultraviolet light, the Sun can be seen warmly smiling. Once seen, you cannot unsee it. The dark patches are so-called coronal holes, areas where vast, cooler (relative to its surroundings at 300,000 Kelvin) plumes of solar winds erupt into Space. Whatever the case, this image is the one you NEEDED today. Whether a cheeky grin or the face of the Stay Puf’t Man in Ghostbusters, the Solar Dynamics Observatory has DELIVERED for you! It might just be so cute, you CAN’T handle it 😊. An $817M perfect picture of JOY.