The study of the Sun has long been an important part of astronomy and the recent successful launch of the Sunrise Telescope helped to move this forward by producing stunning images of the Sun’s surface. The Sunrise Telescope is launched into the stratosphere carried by a giant helium balloon and will only spend a limited time observing the Sun. However NASA is also planning a more permanent observatory which will be launched into orbit around Earth. This new mission is known as the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the design and build phase of the instrument is nearing completion. With a launch date for the mission currently planned for early 2010, our knowledge of the Sun is about to take a giant leap forward.
The SDO mission is the first in NASA’s scientific program called Living With a Star (LWS). This program is being put in place to further our knowledge of solar variability and the impacts that this has on our planet. The SDO mission itself was designed with the aim of studying the solar atmosphere in an attempt to understand its influence on Earth and near-Earth space.
The planning and development of the project is being undertaken by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre and they will also be responsible for managing the operational phase of the mission once its gets underway. Important milestones in recent months have included moving the instrument to Kennedy Space Centre where it is undergoing final testing to ensure it can withstand the rigors of being launched into space and also the conditions it will face during its life orbiting the Earth. A launch date is expected in early 2010 with the mission planned to run for an initial 5 year period.
The aim of the SDO mission is to study how the magnetic field of the Sun is generated and converted into solar activity which comprises solar flares, solar wind and coronal mass ejections. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections can discharge millions of tons of charged particles and solar material into interplanetary space at millions of miles per hour and this can stream towards Earth on the solar wind. This is generally known as space weather and can be potentially dangerous to astronauts in outer space as well as posing problems for technology on and around Earth including satellite communications, electricity supply and navigation systems.
The observatory will be put into an orbit where it can monitor the Sun continuously during its 5 year mission and the three scientific instruments on board will be capable of taking a range of measurements. These instruments will work simultaneously and they include the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) which will measure the Sun’s ultraviolet brightness as often as every ten seconds to record changes in this. The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) will measure sound waves bouncing around the interior of the Sun and also the strength and direction of magnetic fields on its surface which should allow a picture of the Sun’s interior to be built up. The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) will take pictures of the various layers in the Sun’s atmosphere in an effort to understand how changing magnetic fields release the energy which leads to solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
Together the suite of instruments on SDO will result in observations that should help scientists gain a much fuller understanding of the complex solar dynamics which impact on Earth and the near-Earth environment. Ultimately this should lead to the development of a capability for assessing and predicting solar variations and this should help to provide an early warning to any potential problems heading our way as a result of solar activity. 2010 should be an exciting year in the continued study of the Sun and with the recent success of the Sunrise Telescope and the operational capabilities of the Solar Dynamics Observatory our knowledge of the Sun could take a giant leap forward in the near future.
this type of observation is very very important. I hope for a success story
It is not the End of the world it is The End the wicked system of things in Revelation 16: 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21; 17: 16-18. ; 18: 4,7-10,19,20,24 ; 19: 1-3, 5, 11, 17-21; 20: 1-6,11-15; 21: 3-4, 27; 22:1, 4, 6,10-16,18-21. The day of the End of the wicked system (Har-Magedon ) nobody knows when, Except the Almighty God Jehovah Matthew 24:36.
Revelation 16:14 They are, in fact, expressions inspired by demons and perform signs, and they go forth to the kings of the entire inhabited earth, to gather them together to the war of the great day of God the Almighty.
15 “Look! I am coming as a thief. Happy is the one that stays awake and keeps his outer garments, that he may not walk naked and people look upon his shamefulness.”
16 And they gathered them together to the place that is called in Hebrew Har”“Ma”¢ged´on.
17 And the seventh one poured out his bowl upon the air. At this a loud voice issued out of the sanctuary from the throne, saying: “It has come to pass!” 18 And lightnings and voices and thunders occurred, and a great earthquake occurred such as had not occurred since men came to be on the earth, so extensive an earthquake, so great. 19 And the great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell; and Babylon the Great was remembered in the sight of God, to give her the cup of the wine of the anger of his wrath. 20 Also, every island fled, and mountains were not found. 21 And a great hail with every stone about the weight of a talent descended out of heaven upon the men, and the men blasphemed God due to the plague of hail, because the plague of it was unusually great.
Revelation 17:16 And the ten horns that you saw, and the wild beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and will completely burn her with fire. 17 For God put [it] into their hearts to carry out his thought, even to carry out [their] one thought by giving their kingdom to the wild beast, until the words of God will have been accomplished. 18 And the woman whom you saw means the great city that has a kingdom over the kings of the earth.”
Revelation 18: 4 And I heard another voice out of heaven say: “Get out of her, my people, if YOU do not want to share with her in her sins, and if YOU do not want to receive part of her plagues.
7 To the extent that she glorified herself and lived in shameless luxury, to that extent give her torment and mourning. For in her heart she keeps saying, ”˜I sit a queen, and I am no widow, and I shall never see mourning.’ 8 That is why in one day her plagues will come, death and mourning and famine, and she will be completely burned with fire, because Jehovah God, who judged her, is strong.
9 “And the kings of the earth who committed fornication with her and lived in shameless luxury will weep and beat themselves in grief over her, when they look at the smoke from the burning of her, 10 while they stand at a distance because of their fear of her torment and say, ”˜Too bad, too bad, you great city, Babylon you strong city, because in one hour your judgment has arrived!’
19 And they threw dust upon their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning, and said, ”˜Too bad, too bad”the great city, in which all those having boats at sea became rich by reason of her costliness, because in one hour she has been devastated!’ 20 “Be glad over her, O heaven, also YOU holy ones and YOU apostles and YOU prophets, because God has judicially exacted punishment for YOU from her!” 24 Yes, in her was found the blood of prophets and of holy ones and of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
Revelation 19:1 After these things I heard what was as a loud voice of a great crowd in heaven. They said: “Praise Jah, YOU people! The salvation and the glory and the power belong to our God, 2 because his judgments are true and righteous. For he has executed judgment upon the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged the blood of his slaves at her hand.” 3 And right away for the second time they said: “Praise Jah, YOU people! And the smoke from her goes on ascending forever and ever.”
5 Also, a voice issued forth from the throne and said: “Be praising our God, all YOU his slaves, who fear him, the small ones and the great.”
11 And I saw the heaven opened, and, look! a white horse. And the one seated upon it is called Faithful and true, and he judges and carries on war in righteousness.
17 I saw also an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice and said to all the birds that fly in midheaven: “Come here, be gathered together to the great evening meal of God, 18 that YOU may eat the fleshy parts of kings and the fleshy parts of military commanders and the fleshy parts of strong men and the fleshy parts of horses and of those seated upon them, and the fleshy parts of all, of freemen as well as of slaves and of small ones and great.”
19 And I saw the wild beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage the war with the one seated on the horse and with his army. 20 And the wild beast was caught, and along with it the false prophet that performed in front of it the signs with which he misled those who received the mark of the wild beast and those who render worship to its image. While still alive, they both were hurled into the fiery lake that burns with sulphur. 21 But the rest were killed off with the long sword of the one seated on the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth. And all the birds were filled from the fleshy parts of them.
Revelation 20:1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven with the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he seized the dragon, the original serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 And he hurled him into the abyss and shut [it] and sealed [it] over him, that he might not mislead the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After these things he must be let loose for a little while.
4 And I saw thrones, and there were those who sat down on them, and power of judging was given them. Yes, I saw the souls of those executed with the ax for the witness they bore to Jesus and for speaking about God, and those who had worshiped neither the wild beast nor its image and who had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand. And they came to life and ruled as kings with the Christ for a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule as kings with him for the thousand years. 11 And I saw a great white throne and the one seated on it. From before him the earth and the heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. But another scroll was opened; it is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up those dead in it, and death and Hades gave up those dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds. 14 And death and Hades were hurled into the lake of fire. This means the second death, the lake of fire. 15 Furthermore, whoever was not found written in the book of life was hurled into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:3 with that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”
27 But anything not sacred and anyone that carries on a disgusting thing and a lie will in no way enter into it; only those written in the Lamb’s scroll of life [will].
Revelation 22:1 And he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb 4 and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
6 And he said to me: “These words are faithful and true; yes, Jehovah the God of the inspired expressions of the prophets sent his angel forth to show his slaves the things that must shortly take place.
10 He also tells me: “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, for the appointed time is near. 11 He that is doing unrighteousness, let him do unrighteousness still; and let the filthy one be made filthy still; but let the righteous one do righteousness still, and let the holy one be made holy still.
12 “”˜Look! I am coming quickly, and the reward I give is with me, to render to each one as his work is. 13 I am the Al´pha and the O”¢me´ga, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. 14 Happy are those who wash their robes, that the authority [to go] to the trees of life may be theirs and that they may gain entrance into the city by its gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and those who practice spiritism and the fornicators and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone liking and carrying on a lie.’
16 “”˜I, Jesus, sent my angel to bear witness to YOU people of these things for the congregations. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright morning star.’”
1 And he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of its broad way. And on this side of the river and on that side [there were] trees of life producing twelve crops of fruit, yielding their fruits each month. And the leaves of the trees [were] for the curing of the nations.
3 And no more will there be any curse. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in [the city], and his slaves will render him sacred service; 4 and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 Also, night will be no more, and they have no need of lamplight nor [do they have] sunlight, because Jehovah God will shed light upon them, and they will rule as kings forever and ever.
6 And he said to me: “These words are faithful and true; yes, Jehovah the God of the inspired expressions of the prophets sent his angel forth to show his slaves the things that must shortly take place. 7 And, look! I am coming quickly. Happy is anyone observing the words of the prophecy of this scroll.”
8 Well, I John was the one hearing and seeing these things. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel that had been showing me these things. 9 But he tells me: “Be careful! Do not do that! All I am is a fellow slave of you and of your brothers who are prophets and of those who are observing the words of this scroll. Worship God.”
10 He also tells me: “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, for the appointed time is near. 11 He that is doing unrighteousness, let him do unrighteousness still; and let the filthy one be made filthy still; but let the righteous one do righteousness still, and let the holy one be made holy still.
12 “”˜Look! I am coming quickly, and the reward I give is with me, to render to each one as his work is. 13 I am the Al´pha and the O”¢me´ga, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. 14 Happy are those who wash their robes, that the authority [to go] to the trees of life may be theirs and that they may gain entrance into the city by its gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and those who practice spiritism and the fornicators and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone liking and carrying on a lie.’
16 “”˜I, Jesus, sent my angel to bear witness to YOU people of these things for the congregations. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright morning star.’”
17 And the spirit and the bride keep on saying: “Come!” And let anyone hearing say: “Come!” And let anyone thirsting come; let anyone that wishes take life’s water free.
18 “I am bearing witness to everyone that hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone makes an addition to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this scroll; 19 and if anyone takes anything away from the words of the scroll of this prophecy, God will take his portion away from the trees of life and out of the holy city, things which are written about in this scroll.
20 “He that bears witness of these things says, ”˜Yes; I am coming quickly.’”
“Amen! Come, Lord Jesus.”
21 [May] the undeserved kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ [be] with the holy ones.
Matthew 24:36 “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.