File:NOAA Shares First Imagery from GOES-18 SUVI Instrument (52227787250).jpg

English: The Solar Ultraviolet Imager, or SUVI, onboard NOAA’s GOES-18 satellite, which launched on March 1, 2022, began observing the sun on June 24, 2022. The sun’s 11-year activity cycle is ramping back up, meaning phenomena such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar flares are increasing in frequency. GOES-18’s SUVI captured a CME on July 10, 2022. SUVI monitors the sun in the extreme ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Depending on the size and the trajectory of solar eruptions, the possible effects to near-Earth space and Earth’s magnetosphere can cause geomagnetic storms, which can disrupt power utilities and communication and navigation systems. These storms may also cause radiation damage to orbiting satellites and the International Space Station.

The solar corona is so hot that it is best observed with X-ray and extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) cameras. Various elements emit light at specific EUV and X-ray wavelengths depending on their temperature, so by observing in several different wavelengths, a picture of the complete temperature structure of the corona can be made. The GOES-18 SUVI observes the sun in six EUV channels, as seen in this image. The clearest depiction of the CME captured on July 10 is in the 304 Å channel (lower right).

go.usa.gov/xSZej

Image credit: NOAA/NASA