NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory New Images

[Kapnismologist]

Blown away, even if one is not an astronomy buff ...

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/news/first-light.html

Just thought I would share. The video of the prominence eruption is amazing, just amazing. When you consider the magnitudes involved here, it certainly puts things in perspective in relation to one little human sitting in his little garage smoking his pipe.

 

[Hunter5117]

Thanks for sharing. The photo and video were amazing. Can't believe how far science has come in the past 50 years. Too bad so much of this is getting shelved for more "noble" social programs.

 

[Doc Manhattan]

Staggering! And that's just the one medium-sized star that we're near, out of billions.

The article says this is the first of a series of sun-research missions... imagine what those images will be like with two or three data sources! I have mixed feelings about winding down the shuttle program, but it's pretty remarkable what we can get from unmanned craft like this one.

 

[shadrack]

Amazing photo and video! I love this kind of stuff and watch science channel shows on it all the time. I'm still trying to come to grips with how small and insignificant Earth is....no more than a spec of dust.

 

[mark]

Awe inspiring. How far we've come,,,Sputnik was a tinker toy,,,,

 

[E_in_texas]

Absolutely incredible.

 

[phrozenfearz]

Reds are relatively cool (about 60,000 Kelvin, or 107,540 F); blues and greens are hotter (greater than 1 million Kelvin, or 1,799,540 F).

Those numbers put the North Carolina summer that I'm going to have to deal with soon into perspective.

 

[Natch]

Awe inspiring. How far we've come,,,Sputnik was a tinker toy,,,,

Even in October of '57 Sputnik was a toy. But it sure scared the hell out of our government and military leaders and altered our perspective on education that impacts us to this day.

Has anyone seen the 3-D IMAX movie on repairing the Hubble? Truly awesome visuals, and inspiring as well.

Natch