A year on the sun: From perihelion, to aphelion, to perihelion

A Year on the Sun - 2014

This is a composite image of the sun created from 25 images captured by NASA’s SDO (a satellite that orbits Earth) throughout last year.

It’s inspired by a similar image created by NASA that covered a timespan from Apr. 16, 2012 through Apr. 15, 2013 and by another image created by Enrique Cervigón.

This new composite image starts on Jan. 4, 2014 on perihelion, when Earth is at its closest point in elliptical orbit to the sun, and ends on Jan. 4, 2015 on perihelion (Universal Time).

The vine video below animates the 25 images used in the composite. Aphelion, the point in Earth’s elliptical orbit when it’s farthest from the sun, occurred on Jul. 4, 2014.


Credit: NASA/SDO/@ObservingSpace