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SOLAR
DYNAMICS OBSERVATORY MISSION (SDO)
With the exception of the slow evolutionary changes in solar
structure over the last 4.5 billion years, all solar variability
is magnetic in origin. The solar cycle is a magnetic cycle
in which the Sun's magnetic poles reverse with a periodicity
of approximately 11 years, and intense magnetic fields erupt
through the surface in sunspots whose numbers wax and wane
with the cycle. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections occur
when magnetic fields are stressed beyond their limits. The
very structure of the corona and the solar wind is determined
by the structure of the magnetic fields inside the Sun. The
heating of the Sun's corona and the acceleration of the solar
wind are thought to be due to interaction between small-scale
magnetic elements. SDO will help us understand the mechanisms
of solar variability by observing how the magnetic field
is generated and structured and how this stored magnetic
energy is released into the heliosphere and geospace.
SDO HAS FOUR MAIN GOALS
- Understand the Solar Activity Cycle.
- Identify the
role of the magnetic field in delivering energy to
the solar atmosphere and its many layers.
- Study how
the outer regions of the Sun's atmosphere evolve over
space and time - ranging from seconds to centuries.
- Observe
and characterize the radiation (e.g. UV, EUV, etc.) levels
of solar output that affect the atmospheres of Earth,
the planets, and all other bodies in the solar system.
SDO INSTRUMENTS
SDO will carry a suite of instruments that will provide the
observations needed for a more complete understanding of the
solar dynamics that drive variability in the solar system.
+ Link to SDO Mission
Project website
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