A satellite doesn't have to be brand new to count among the best and brightest of 2011. In fact, it's hard to think of a mission brighter than the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Marking its one-year anniversary on February 11, SDO is helping us understand the magnetic tempest that is our sun. SDO provides a close look at sunspots, as well as the massive solar eruptions that lie at the heart of some silly civilization-destroying apocalypse scenarios. Researchers are hoping to unlock the secrets of the sun's 11-year activity cycle, and sort out clues that might give advanced warning of solar activity like flares and coronal mass ejections.