Year One of the Solar Dynamics Observatory – Vote for Your Favorite Solar Events

Over the past year, the Sun has gone from one of quietest periods in decades to the ramping up of activity marking the beginning of Solar Cycle 24. And with impeccable timing, the Solar Dynamics Observatory has been there, in orbit, capturing every moment with a level of detail never-before possible. The mission has returned unprecedented images of solar flares, eruptions of prominences, and the early stages of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). It was on April 21st, 2010 that the SDO scientists were able to reveal the first images from their fledgling satellite, and now, one year on, who has not loved the intricate details of old Sol that we’ve been able to see in the imagery and video SDO has provided!

This video shows some of the most beautiful and compelling solar events seen by SDO so far, and at the SDO website, you can vote for your favorite. The contest runs through Thursday May 5, 2011. Check back on May 6 to see which video the public selected as their all-time favorite SDO video from the past year.