Live Sun Screensaver
The Live Sun screensaver shows the actual Sun as photographed minutes ago by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, cycling through ultraviolet wavelengths and the visible disc. It's free, key-less, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
How the Live Sun screensaver works
The saver loads the latest solar images NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory posts publicly — updated every few minutes, with no key required.
It can show a single wavelength or cycle through several: 193 Å and 171 Å reveal the corona and magnetic loops, 304 Å the chromosphere, and HMI shows the Sun in visible light.
The disc is drawn with a soft corona glow and a gentle breathing zoom so it feels alive.
It reloads the current image on a timer so flares and sunspots update as the Sun changes.
A worked example
Leave it on the cycle setting and the Sun morphs from the green-gold tangle of 193 Å coronal loops to the deep red 304 Å chromosphere and on to a crisp visible-light disc dotted with sunspots — each one a real image taken minutes earlier from orbit.
Settings & tips
- View picks one wavelength or cycles through all of them.
- Refresh sets how often the latest image is re-fetched.
- Background sets the space color behind the disc.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this the real Sun?
- Yes. The images come straight from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory and are only minutes old, so you're seeing the Sun close to real time.
- What do the wavelengths mean?
- Each ultraviolet band highlights a different layer: 193 Å and 171 Å the hot corona, 304 Å the chromosphere, and HMI the visible surface with sunspots.
- Does it need an API key?
- No. SDO's latest images are public and key-less; the saver just needs an internet connection.
- How often does it update?
- It re-fetches on the interval you choose, and SDO posts new images every few minutes, so flares and spots stay current.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free, no download, entirely in your browser.