Solar Observatory Enters Eclipse Season

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NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a one of the sun monitoring fleet of satellites that provide insights into the sun’s behaviour and warning of harmful storms heading Earth’s way. Due to its geosynchronous orbit, SDO’s view of the sun is impaired for short periods of time during what is known as its “eclipse seasons.” SDO has a spring and a fall eclipse season, in which SDO’s view of the sun is regularly blocked by Earth’s passage. This lasts for a period of weeks each season.

On September 6, SDO’s fall eclipse season began. Over the course of an hour beginning at 1700 UTC, this occurred:

Merryl Azriel

Merryl is Managing Editor of Space Safety Magazine and Vice President of Public Affairs for the International Space Safety Foundation. A Chemical Engineer and graduate of the International Space University with a Masters in Space Studies, Merryl is committed to the advancement of manned exploration and utilization of space resources.

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