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SOLAR MISSIONS
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STEREO - The Sun in 3D
Current Missions, Missions,
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA)
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COSMICOPIA
Exploration of the Universe Division (EUD),
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC),
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA)
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Current Space Weather Conditions
Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC),
National Centers for Environmental
Prediction (NCEP),
National Weather Service (NWS),
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA),
U.S. Department of Commerce
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Did You Say the Sun Has Spots?
The Sun, Space Today Online
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EXTENSIVE DESTRUCTION POWERS
SOLAR EXPLOSIONS
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC),
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA)
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LIVING WITH A STAR (LWS)
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC),
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA)
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Living With a Star: The Sun-Earth Connection
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC),
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA)
(Adobe PDF files)
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SolarHam.com
SolarHam.com, Kevin VE3EN
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Solar Physics
Science Directorate,
Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC),
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA)
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Solar Terrestrial Activity Report
Jan Alvestad, DX-Listeners’ Club
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spaceweather.com
SpaceWeather.com, Dr. Tony Phillips
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Space Weather
Space Weather, Dr. Sten Odenwald
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SPACE WEATHER PREDICTION:
Research and Development
Naval Research Laboratory (NRL),
Department of the Navy (USN)
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What are solar flares?
ESA Space Science, European Space Agency (ESA)
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Monster Waves Behind Sun’s Coronal Heating Mystery?
Ian O’Neill, Space News,
Discovery News, Discovery.com,
Discovery Communications, LLC
[ 27 July 2011 ]
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Are We Prepared for a Catastrophic Solar Storm?
Damon Tabor, PopSci.com,
Popular Science,
Bonnier Corporation
[ 30 June 2011 ]
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Sun to skip solar cycle 25?
Dr. Emily Baldwin,
Astronomy Now Online,
Astronomy Now,
Pole Star Publications Ltd.
[ 15 June 2011 ]
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Mystery of the Solar Tsunami — Solved (w/ Video)
PhysOrg.com
(Source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
[ 19 November 2009 ]
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Photo: The Sun Gets Its Spots (Back)
Alexis Madrigal, Wired Science,
Wired.com, Condé Nast Digital
[ 24 September 2009 ]
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Solar Sleuths Tackle the “Quiet Sun”
Kelly Beatty, News Blog,
Sky & Telescope, Sky Publishing,
New Track Media [ 19 June 2009 ]
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Solar Cycle 24 Begins
Science@NASA,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
[ 10 January 2008 ]
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Solar Minimum Explodes
Science@NASA,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
[ 15 September 2005 ]
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Solar Myth
Science@NASA,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
[ 5 May 2005 ]
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SUN SHEDS SKIN AND FLIPS
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC),
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA)
[ 19 November 2003 ]
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Solar flares: is iron-rich sun the cause?
UMR Public Relations, University of Missouri-Rolla (UNR)
courtesy of SpaceRef Interactive, Inc.
[ 30 October 2003 (original date) ]
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Our Sun began a new active phase with completion of solar minimum on
January 4, 2008, signaled by the appearance of a reverse-polarity
sunspot, thus initiating
Solar Cycle 24. It is a well-documented fact that
solar activity is not constant, but varies in a more-or-less
predictable 11-year average cycle. As we approach solar maximum,
recent observations suggest that the next solar cycle may be somewhat less
predictable than most.
Solar astronomy and solar physics, two branches of science which
observe and study the Sun and attempt to explain and predict its
behavior, can claim ownership of the largest array of Earth- and
space-based instruments ever assembled to observe the solar sphere.
This instrumentation has provided us with unprecedented images and
measurements of solar activity associated with the most recent solar
maximum (of Cycle 23) — as measured by sunspot activity —
that occurred in April 2000.
While sunspot activity prior to the minimum had been waning for several years,
geomagnetic activity on Earth peaked in October 2003 (as measured
by the planetary A-index, or PAI). This geomagnetic maximum
is generally characterized by increasing magnitude and frequency of solar
coronal mass ejections. Even at solar minimum, the Sun continues to
be a powerful and unpredictable giant, occasionally surprising astronomers
and other sun watchers with sudden, violent bursts of activity.
Our Sun is never quiet.
Most of us do not care about Sol and its moods — but we should.
Collision of a coronal mass ejection (CME) with Earth’s
magnetosphere can induce a geomagnetic storm — a widespread
disturbance of the our planet’s magnetic field. While solar flares
can disrupt radio reception because they disturb the ionosphere, large
coronal mass ejections, by virtue of their ability to cause severe
geomagnetic fluctuations, can damage electric power grid equipment and
are known to have caused major electric power grid failures.
Furthermore, both flares and coronal mass ejections can damage satellites
and place the lives of astronauts and cosmonauts at extreme risk.
The Sun, when looked upon not as the bright, featureless disk presented to
the naked eye* (See warning below.), but as a massive, churning
dynamo at once both driven and constrained by phenomenal interplay of
battling nuclear, gravitational and electromagnetic forces, becomes an
object of intense fascination. It is no wonder that thousands of people
travel worldwide just to view a scant few minutes of a total solar eclipse.
With the resources available here, you can view and learn about our Sun
through the eyes and instruments of the men and women engaged in the
exciting fields of solar astronomy and solar physics.
Authored by Kenneth L. Anderson.
Original article published 16 December 2003, updated 1 July
2011.
Follow links to the right to learn more about solar astronomy and solar
physics, solar events such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections
(CME) that can affect the Earth and its magnetosphere, and measurement,
causes, effects and prediction of these events. Related Links at the
left margin display additional topics of interest pertaining to
astrophysics, space and spaceflight. View the
Space &
Spaceflight SiteMap for a complete list of all our
space, spaceflight, astronomy and astrophysics topics and the
Technology
& Science SiteMap for our collection of technology and
science-related topics.
High tech job seekers will find valuable resources under
Tech,
Science & Engineering Jobs and related
Job Finders & Job
Search Engines such as
Physics
Jobs.
* NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN without
proper eye protection used in the prescribed manner. Looking directly into
the Sun can damage the retina of the eye. This damage, even with modern
surgical techniques, cannot be repaired. Permanent blindness can be the
result of prolonged exposure.
Warning — Looking at the Sun is dangerous!
is a reference that can help you learn what are considered to be safe and
unsafe solar viewing techniques.
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