solar-physics

Today we interview Solar System scientist and expert in Rubin Observatory data, Prof. Mario Jurić from the University of Washington, for his Plenary Talk at #AAS248!

📷 Mark Johnston from Scottsdale, Arizona A line of filaments march toward the limb of the Sun, which itself is bedecked with multiple prominences in this Hα image. Both phenomena are made of loops and tendrils of plasma that arch off the surface of the Sun; their varying appearance depends on the viewing geometry. The Continue reading "Prominent filaments" The post Prominent filaments appeared fi…

Every so often, the Sun hurls billions of tonnes of charged particles toward Earth in what are called coronal mass ejections and if a big one hits at the wrong moment, the consequences for satellites, power grids, and communications systems could be catastrophic. Our best defence is to predict them before they happen, and that means watching the Sun's magnetic fields constantly and precisely. Now…

NOAA’s SOLAR-1 satellite now continuously monitors the Sun, giving the U.S. unprecedented early warnings against solar storms that could disrupt life on Earth and in space.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe completed its 28th close approach to the Sun on June 8, again matching its record distance of 3.8 million miles from the solar surface. The flyby allowed the spacecraft to continue its measurements of the solar wind and solar activity at their source, while adding to our understanding of how the […] The post Parker Solar Probe Makes 28th Close Pass of Sun appeared first …

A new telescope technology -- measuring just six millimeters in diameter -- could improve how future space missions study and monitor the Sun while simplifying onboard hardware and reducing costs. The technology is built from a metasurface, which is a device engineered with nanoscale structures that manipulate light in unusual ways. In tests at the Dunn Solar Telescope in New Mexico, the metasurf…

Scientific hardware installations and biomedical monitoring topped the research schedule aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The Expedition 74 crew members also adjusted a spacesuit to prepare for a spacewalk and explored space physics to round out their day. The post Expedition 74 Works Scientific Installs, Suit Prep Ahead of Canadarm2 Repair Spacewalk appeared first on NASA Sci…

The outer solar system once seemed like a quiet backwater. But a glut of tiny, strange moons with unruly orbits are coming into view, revealing hints of a surprising past – and the origin of Saturn's rings

Eugene Parker, pioneer of theoretical solar and plasma astrophysics, was born June 10, 1927. Parker revolutionized the field of heliophysics, notably by first proposing the existence of the solar wind — a stream of charged particles ejected from the Sun — in 1958. His theory was confirmed by Mariner II in 1962. Among many other Continue reading "June 10, 1927: The birth of Eugene Parker" The post…

Here's where and when to see the 'ring of fire' annular solar eclipse on Feb. 6, 2027

Nasa astronaut Jessica Meir, part of the SpaceX Crew-12 mission, released a timelapse showing the southern lights as seen from the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. They appear near the poles because Earth's magnetic field channels charged particles from the sun toward those regions, where they collide with the atmosphere and create shimmering curtains of colour. 'As opposed to the previous aurora I’ve s…

A new spacecraft system could shield Earth from solar storms by creating an artificial plasma barrier in the magnetosphere.

Unusually tall red auroras over Japan may be revealing that some solar storms are stronger than scientists realize. A study published in the Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate reports that red auroras observed over Japan extended to altitudes of roughly 500-800 kilometers above Earth. The discovery was made by researchers from Hokkaido University [...]

Nature Communications, Published online: 09 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74137-2 Solar radio bursts often exhibit complex fine structures that encode crucial coronal dynamics. Here, the authors report the detection of spike-like repeating burst pairs and show that the delayed component arises from anisotropic scattering of harmonic emission, revealing coronal turbulence and high-altitude mag…

Scientists have proposed a spacecraft-based system to actively strengthen Earth's magnetic shield and reduce the impact of powerful solar storms.

A G3-class solar storm is expected to bring the northern lights to 20 U.S. states Monday through Tuesday, offering a rare mid-latitude aurora display.

A coronal mass ejection is currently racing toward Earth and could trigger G2 to G3 geomagnetic storm conditions on June 8, potentially boosting aurora displays across northern latitudes.

A solar flare that occurred on the Sun has triggered a magnetic storm which scientists predict will arrive at the Earth in the early hours of November 4

NASA launched the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer satellite, or EUVE, on June 7, 1992, to conduct an all-sky survey at wavelengths inaccessible from the ground. The first satellite designed to operate in the short-wave ultraviolet range, its “objectives included discovering and studying UV sources radiating in this spectral region, and analyzing effects of the interstellar medium Continue reading "J…