Solar Dynamics Observatory_June 2010

www.secureworldfoundation.org

Promoting Cooperative Solutions for Space Security

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Solar Dynamics Observatory

Longmont Astronomical SocietyLongmont, CO – 17 June 2010

Suzanne Metlay, Ph.D.Education & Public Outreach Lead

Secure World FoundationSuperior, CO



NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

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Launched 11 Feb 2010 5 year mission (follow-on to SOHO) NASA’s Living with a Star Program

Multiwavelength observation of Sun’s atmosphere, magnetic field Solar wind Solar irradiance Solar cycle Coronal Mass Ejections Sunspot Activity

Geosynchronous orbit above ground station in New Mexico White Sands, NM 90 minutes to obtain, process, and upload images to web

http://sdowww.lmsal.com/suntoday http://www.lmsal.com/helio-informatics/hpkb/

SDO images have 10x higher resolution than high definition 4096 x 4096 pixels Twice as much detail as STEREO images 1 GB data every minute

Space Weather



SDO Science Questions

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Hope to gain insight into:

1.How and why the Sun's magnetic field changes?2.How energy is stored in the magnetic field?3.How is solar energy released into Sun-Earth system? 4.How does solar variability affect space weather?

SDO is the 1st spacecraft to observe Sun’s magnetic field and atmosphere at the same time in multiple wavelengths

Different colors indicate different temperatures and layers of atmosphere

SDO Full-disk Multiwavelength image 30 March 2010



SDO Instruments

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2 High-gain Antennae & 2 Solar Arrays3-axis stabilized

3 Instruments: Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA)

Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Lab Individual light feeds designed and built at Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Full-disk solar imaging in UV and extreme UV

Helioseismic & Magnetic Imager (HMI) Stanford University Full-disk high-resolution measurements of longitudinal and vector magnetic fields

Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE)

LASP (Univ. Colorado at Boulder) Takes data every 10 seconds Measures energetic EUV photons



First Light

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Solar Prominence recorded 30 March 2010 Note twisting motion of magnetic field

http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/youtube.php - SDO launch and deployment animation

http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/assets/img/firstlight/movies/prominence20100330_sm.mov



Structure of the Sun

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Near surface convection generates acoustic waves Periods of nearly 5 minutes How does this relate to solar cycle?



HMI Instrument

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HMI monitors magnetic field activity on solar surface

How does surface activity relate to inner dynamics?

http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/youtube.php Sun’s magnetic field in HD Solar dynamo visualizations



Dark Filament above Active Regions

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Dark elongated filament Clearly above surface of Sun Cooler clouds of gas suspended by tenuous magnetic fields Often unstable and commonly erupt

Bright active regions Indicate where magnetic field is heating Shafts of plasma trace magnetic field lines emerging from them

“This one is estimated to be at least 60 Earth diameters long (about 500,000 miles).”― SDO Gallery Pick of the Week:http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/potw.php?v=item&id=1

Close-up of AIA image taken in 211Å (EUV Fe line) on 18 May 2010



AIA Instrument

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Guide Telescope (GT)

Camera Electronics Box (CEB)

CEB RadiatorCCD Radiator

CEB is independently mounted to IM

http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/youtube.php “Many Different Views of the Sun – HMI and AIA” “SDO: High-res through the Sun’s atmosphere”“AIA multi-temperature images of eruption and flare”

4 Telescopes – Sampling: 0.6 arcsec per pixel 7 EUV channels:

Fe sequence (6 iron lines) He II (Helium @ 304Å)

1 UV Channel: 1600Å, 1700Å, white light filters

Field of view: 41 arcmin along detector axes 46 arcmin along detector diagonal



AIA Wavelengths

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ChannelVisible1700Å

304Å

1600Å

171Å

193Å

211Å

335Å

94Å

131Å

††

--12.7

-4.7

6.0

7.0

16.5

0.9

4.4

Ion(s)ContinuumContinuum

He II

C IV+cont.

Fe IX

Fe XII, XXIV

Fe XIV

Fe XVI

Fe XVIII

Fe XX, XXIII

Region of Atmosphere*PhotosphereTemperature minimum, photosphere

Chromosphere, transition region,

Transition region + upper photosphere

Quiet corona, upper transition region

Corona and hot flare plasma

Active-region corona

Active-region corona

Flaring regions

Flaring regions

Char. log(T)3.73.7

4.7

5.0

5.8

6.1, 7.3

6.3

6.4

6.8

7.0, 7.2

AIA wavelength bands

*Absorption allows imaging of chromospheric material within the corona; ††FWHM, in Å

Fe XVIII94 Å

Fe XX/XXIII133 Å

1600Å? Fe IX/X 171 Å

Fe XII 195 Å

Fe XIV 211 Å

C IV 1550 Å He II 304 Å

Fe XVI 335 Å

UV channel has three filters: White light, C IV 1550, UV Continuum White light for ground calibration, co-alignment with HMI & ground-based instruments

He II 304Å Observes chromosphere Monitor filaments Key driver to chemistry of the Earth’s outermost atmospheric layers

Fe ions (various wavelengths) Observes corona and flaring regions



EVE Instrument

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Solar flare on 30 April 2010 EVE detects broad secondary peak of EUV photons missed by GOES spacecraft Secondary peak lasts longer and has nearly 4x as much energy as primary peak

Energetic extreme ultraviolet photons Prime driver to heat Earth’s upper atmosphere Creates ionosphere Constantly changing output

Moment to moment Solar cycle

http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/youtube.php “The Sun lights up for EVE”



NASA Monitors Sun and Space Weather

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Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) Launched1997

Detects solar wind gusts, CMEs, etc. Provides warnings: 30 minutes or more

Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) Launched 2006

Two spacecraft stationed on opposite sides of Sun Combined view of 90% of solar surface Sees active sunspots on Sun's farside

Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Launched 2010

Images active regions on entire Sun with unprecedented resolution & speed Magnetic field data coupled to atmospheric and internal dynamic data Monitors the sun's extreme UV output

Response of Earth's atmosphere to solar variability.



Space Weather Effects

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Space Weather events: Solar flares Coronal mass ejections Radiation emission through coronal holes Energetic charged particles

Degrade or destroy satellites Increased drag from thermal expansion of Earth’s atmosphere Surface charging, electrostatic discharge, or other damage to onboard electronics Damaged solar panels, power loss Phantom commands, data corruption

Ground stations may also suffer Corruption of navigational data, leading to signal timing or position errors Scatter, interruption or loss of communications data from ionization of Earth’s atmosphere



ZombieSat

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Galaxy 15 satellite = “ZombieSat” Launched 2005

Built by Orbital Sciences Corp Operated by IntelSat Navigation/Communications in geostationary orbit

Control lost 5 April 2010, likely due to space weather event

Drifting through orbital paths of other satellites SES AMC-11 had to be moved out of the way Passed within 0.2 degrees of AMC-11 during closest approach on 1 June 2010

No interference reportedTransponders still on

Could still interfere with TV signals through end of June 2010



Galaxy 15 drifting through GEO and EM spectrum

Tim Rickard “Brewster Rockit” 24 May 2010

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Questions?

Thank [email protected]

[email protected]

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NEW! -- 2 Planetarium Shows Coming in 2010

PLANETARIUM SHOWS & EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED AT NO COST TO INTERNATIONAL PLANETARIUM SOCIETY MEMBERS AND AFFILIATES

“The Crowded Sky” – 25-minute SHOW FREE PUBLIC SHOW: 25 June 2010 What is in Earth orbit?

— Active satellites are vastly outnumbered by derelict satellites, rocket bodies, other objects Where are satellites located?

— GEO, MEO, LEO How do people use satellite technology?

Clicker question interlude – Supplementary EDUCATIONAL material Release date: 25 June 2010 Guided question and answer session for general public or classroom use Questions appropriate for university students in introductory courses

— Additional questions available for general public— Tied to US national science content standards for grades 9-12

Planetarium staff conduct this segment live— Responsive to current news events — Updated fact sheets will be provided by Secure World Foundation

and/or Fiske Planetarium throughout life of planetarium shows

“Life of a Satellite”– 25-minute SHOW Planned release date: November 2010 Launch to de-orbit of WorldView-2 satellite

— WorldView-2 satellite is owned and operated by DigitalGlobe, Inc. On-orbit hazards

— Orbital debris— Space weather

Show actual satellite operations

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Documents

Solar Dynamics Observatory_June 2010