NASA recently instructed its Solar Dynamics Observatory to roll on an axis, and the resulting video is both mesmerizing and wildly entertaining.
NASA recently instructed its Solar Dynamics Observatory to roll on an axis, and the resulting video is both mesmerizing and wildly entertaining.
The sun, which is typically so serious-looking in pictures, appears to be spinning like a merry-go-round.
Though the clip is fun to watch, creating it wasn’t the observatory’s only mission during its 360-degree rotation.
The exercise is performed twice each year as a means of gathering measurements of the sun’s outer edge, also known as the solar limb.
Researchers use that data for mapping accuracy and as a way to track the sun’s shape in relation to its cycle.
Correlating such changes with specific solar activities helps ensure the safety of astronauts and satellites.