Hasta La Gadget!

NASA has unveiled the first series of images from the agency’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which had launched back in February.

The photos are striking images of looping flares and massive explosions on the sun’s surface. As Popular Science reports, the goal of the mission is to help scientists gain a better understanding of how various processes on the sun affect our lives on Earth.

In particular, SDO will provide a “wealth of solar data” to help researchers improve solar weather forecasts. The observatory carries four telescopes, views the sun with a resolution an order of magnitude higher than what is possible with an HD video camera, and also contains instruments for measuring magnetic motions and ultraviolet energy output, the report said.