"HMI & SDO: All the Sun, All of the Time"

Abstract: The Solar Dynamics Observatory was launched in February 2010 and has been observing the Sun continuously since that April. The three SDO instruments provide a comprehensive view of the evolving photosphere, corona, and interior. In particular the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager instrument measures the Doppler shift, Zeeman splitting, and intensity of the Fe 6173 spectral line in the photosphere every 45s with 1 arc-second resolution. The vector magnetic field is determined every 12 minutes and can be used to track the evolution of features and model the overlying atmosphere. AR 11158 in February produced the first X-class flare of the solar cycle; vector data for this region are now available. All of the SDO data are available within minutes of observation and can be used for predictive purposes.