The Solar Dynamics Observatory

This volume is dedicated to the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which was launched 11 February 2010. The articles focus on the spacecraft and its instruments: the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE), and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). Articles within also describe calibration results and data processing pipelines that are critical to understanding the data and products, concluding with a description of the successful Education and Public Outreach activities. This book is geared towards anyone interested in using the unprecedented data from SDO, whether for fundamental heliophysics research, space weather modeling and forecasting, or educational purposes. Previously published in Solar Physics journal, Vol. 275/1-2, 2012.

W. Dean Pesnell is the Project Scientist and Phillip Chamberlin and Barbara Thompson are the two Deputy Project Scientists for the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Dr. Pesnell and Dr. Thompson have been with SDO since the original idea was proposed more than ten years ago, and Dr. Chamberlin worked throughout the lifetime of the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) instrument before coming to Goddard prior to the launch of SDO. Dr. Thompson received her B.A. in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania and her Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Pesnell received his B.S. in Physics from the University of Delaware and his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Florida. Dr. Chamberlin received his undergraduate degree in Physics from Hanover College and his master’s and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado at Boulder.