solar-physics

At the center of our solar system, the sun influences every planet that orbits it. In two recent studies, scientists uncovered how ancient events in the sun’s history may have helped create Earth’s unique climate and driven previously unexplained climatic shifts. In new research, scientists at NASA’s SHIELD (Solar Wind with Hydrogen Ion charge Exchange […]

The 400-to-one coincidence is rounded, changeable and temporary. Its near-match hides the photosphere closely enough to expose the Sun's faint inner corona.

A spacecraft on a mission to Mercury successfully detached from its British-manufactured propulsion system yesterday, initiating the final phase of arrival following an eight-year voyage through the solar system. The BepiColombo probe, operated jointly by the European Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, jettisoned its Mercury Transfer Module on Thursday as it approached the inner…

A remarkable solar image captures towering plasma loops glowing along the edge of the Sun.

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a strong solar flare on 8 May 2024. The image shows a blend of 171- and 131-angstrom light, subsets of extreme ultraviolet light. Credit: NASA/SDO

Mark Johnston from Scottsdale, Arizona On Aug. 21, 2026, an unusually long-lasting M-class flare erupted from a sunspot group near the Sun’s west limb. As the flare’s stretched magnetic field lines reconnected and relaxed, they filled with hot plasma that cooled and drained along the loops, producing the glowing arcade seen here in Hydrogen-alpha (Hα) Continue reading "The aftermath of a solar fl…

New research suggests that dust from meteorites contains a "fossil record" dating back 4.6 billion years to the formation of the sun, revealing the role magnetism played in the birth of the solar system.

A rare look at a centaur transforming into a comet with coma is providing a missing link in the evolution of small, icy solar system bodies.

Even though the solar wind was unusually dense during the May 2024 superstorm, ions from the solar wind contributed very little to the ring current, marking the first time both were observed simultaneously during a storm of this magnitude. In May 2024, auroras spread into skies far beyond their usual range, appearing at unusually low […]

Scientific Reports, Published online: 04 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-70061-z Kinematic relationship between solar extreme ultraviolet waves and type II metric radio bursts

Even though the solar wind was unusually dense during the May 2024 superstorm, ions from the solar wind contributed very little to the ring current, marking the first time both were observed simultaneously during a storm of this magnitude. In May 2024, auroras spread into skies far beyond their usual range, appearing at unusually low [...]

Comet McNaught brightened dramatically during two outbursts around perihelion as it made a close approach to the sun.

"To see one AND catch it right on the limb AND have it happen on a clear day when I'm home and able to catch it was a real treat."

Aurora mobile applications (apps) have become a common way for aurora chasers and other members of the public to access space weather data. For many users, an aurora app is the first encounter with geomagnetic indices, solar wind conditions, and auroral probability maps. These interfaces often support time-sensitive decisions about whether to go outside, where to drive, and how to interpret chang…

The SunRISE Ground Radio Lab (GRL) at the University of Michigan develops and deploys Long Wavelength Array (LWA) antennas operating over 40–160 MHz to support low-frequency radio heliophysics and student training. This paper presents the scientific and educational outcomes of a dual-site observing campaign conducted during the 8 April 2024, total solar eclipse, which provided a valuable natural …

Scientists have gained their clearest view yet of a vast magnetic boundary extending outward from the sun. Data collected by the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter spacecraft show that this boundary is not simply a place where the magnetic field changes direction. It may also be connected to how the sun sorts different types of […] The post Solar Orbiter Finds the Sun Sorting Particles at a My…

On Sept. 1, 1859, amateur astronomer Richard Carrington observed a massive eruption of bright light from the Sun’s surface. It was the first recorded observation of a solar flare. Within only 17.5 hours, a coronal mass ejection (CME) – an expulsion of plasma and magnetic waves that often accompanies flares and prominences – reached Earth, Continue reading "Sept. 2, 1859: The Carrington Event peak…

The corona in Spain was particularly golden The post Why the Recent Total Eclipse Looked Unusual appeared first on Nautilus .

Around 4.6 billion years ago, the solar system was little more than a giant ball of gas and

The post APOD: 2026 September 2 – Solar Eclipses and Culture appeared first on NASA Science .