On Sept. 22, 2006,the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency launched a sun-observing satellite called Hinode, or Solar-B.

It was named after the Japanese word for "sunrise." The satellite orbits about 400 miles above the Earth in a sun-synchronous orbit, which means it's always facing the sun. Since it launched, it's been measuring the sun's magnetic fields and taking cool photos of solar flares, sunspots and transits across the sun.