Solar Loops and Eruptions - October 8, 2024

Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.

Here is fourteen hours of continuous solar observation through the 304 ångstrom filter of SDO/AIA which allows us to see a number of slower-evolving features such as the steady group of coronal loops on the right limb, and loads of other wispy structures all around the limb. In addition, there are some more transient events:

• A bright eruption on the right limb at 01:51 TAI
• In the lower right quadrant of the disk, a dark filament lifts off starting around 03:35 TAI and launching by 05:36 TAI.
• A pulsing stream of bright plasma erupts off the right limb about 06:50 TAI and continues for some time later.

The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to all this imagery.

The Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) produces near real-time atmospheric data products – like the Goddard Earth Observing System Forward Processing (GEOS FP) model, which includes forecasts, and the MERRA-2 reanalysis product, which produces a continious record of atmospheric conditions from 1980 to present.

An interim atmospheric reanalysis product called MERRA-21C – which will cover the Goddard Earth Observing System for Instrument Teams (GEOS IT) time period using an ensemble-based system of higher-resolution – is expected to become available in 2025.This animation demonstrates the enhanced resolution of these GMAO data products.