The Sun & Solar Physics

News & Articles

In this illustration, an exploding star powers jets of material. The star is shown as an almost flower-like shape. The purple �petals� represent clouds of material created in the explosion. The bluish-white and yellow center shows where the newly formed black hole begins driving the jets. The core of the jet pointed toward us is whitish and the broader regions are magenta. In the distance, on the far side of the star, you can see the opposite side of the jet disappearing into space.

5 Surprising NASA Heliophysics Discoveries Not Related to the Sun

5 min read

With NASA’s fleet of heliophysics spacecraft, scientists monitor our Sun and investigate its influences throughout the solar system. However, the…

Article3 weeks ago
An animation shows the Sun in the bottom left corner. Cascading off the Sun are lines in every direction, representing solar wind streams. As they move away, kinks form in the lines, and grow wider as they move outward.

What Is the Solar Wind?

1 min read

As the solar wind gushes out, it drags the Sun’s magnetic field with it. The stretched out solar magnetic field…

Topic
Two people wearing all white suits that cover their entire body and hair, and masks, stand by a cylindrical instrument.

NASA to Launch Innovative Solar Coronagraph to Space Station

5 min read

Editor’s Note: The CODEX instrument launched aboard NASA’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station at 9:29…

Article1 month ago
The Sun appears orange with several dark sunspots of various sizes scattered across its midsection.

Track the Solar Cycle with Sunspots

5 min read

Participate in sunspot-counting activities using NASA telescopes or your own.

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On the left, the Sun shown in gold. It's fairly uniform. On the right, the Sun in gold has several bright active regions.

NASA, NOAA: Sun Reaches Maximum Phase in 11-Year Solar Cycle

6 min read

In a teleconference with reporters on Tuesday, representatives from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the international…

Article2 months ago
A long, white, overexposed comet tail stretches from the upper left to the lower right against a circular blue background scattered with stars. At the center is a blank blue disk with a white circle representing the Sun. A time stamp at the bottom reads 2024/10/10 18:06.

ESA/NASA’s SOHO Spies Bright Comet Making Debut in Evening Sky

2 min read

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has captured images of the second-brightest comet to ever pass through its field of view,…

Article2 months ago