Absolutely stunning photos are now being released from NASA's new telescope, the Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Over the course of its five-year mission, it will study the sun's magnetic field and also provide a better understanding of the role the sun plays in Earth's atmospheric chemistry and climate. The images the telescope captures provide clarity 10 times better than high-definition television and transmit more comprehensive science data faster than
previous solar spacecraft, according to NASA. - NPR

There are photos and videos available on NASA's site, like those below. The telescope was launched in February. The videos take a while to load in some cases but they're worth it. Check them out!


A solar prominence, an eruption of gas from the sun's surface. The movie of that eruption is here (29 MB), or see the quick and dirty version here:






A "full-disk multiwavelength extreme ultraviolet image" of the sun, showing areas of hot and cold. The reds are cooler (still at a blazing 60,000 K) while the blues and greens are hot ( > 1,000,000 K).

All sorts of other images and videos, like those of solar flares and sunspots, can be found here and here. The SDO site is here, and the YouTube channel for SDO is here.