Helio and You Article Series Directory
| Levels |
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|---|---|
| Material Type |
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| Heliophysics Big Ideas |
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| NGSS |
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| Heliophysics Topics |
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| Heliophysics Missions |
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| Related Missions |
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| Material Cost per Learner | Free |
| Language | English |
Helio and You
This article series for educators aims to engage learners of all ages with the exciting world of solar science. Our goal is to help educators inspire students by connecting informal and classroom learning to real NASA events, mission launches, and historic heliophysics milestones. Use these articles to inspire learners and find more resources that cultivate learning and engagement with heliophysics.
They are organized by their date of release, with the most recent editions at the top. The topics covered offer diverse learning opportunities for students, including the application of heliophysics to Lunar missions like Artemis and Apollo and the relationship between studying comets and understanding the Sun.
- September 2026: A Fresh Perspective on the Sun
- The Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) mission helped us to see the Sun from a new viewpoint. This article explains how this mission and others like it have and will continue to revolutionize our understanding of the Sun's effects on the solar system at large.
- Find the article here ↗
- August 2026: Studying Eclipses Near and Far
- Here on Earth, we're lucky to get total solar eclipses from time to time. But did you know that eclipses can happen on other worlds, too? In this article, you will find out all about eclipses on Earth and elsewhere, including how eclipses on Earth will one day become a thing of the past.
- Find the article here ↗
- July 2026: Heliophysics as an American Endeavor
- Scientific achievement has been a part of the American identity for as long as that identity has existed. Heliophysics is an important cornerstone of the history of astronomy, and many of the pioneers in this field have been American. Let's take a look at a few of these history-makers.
- Find the article here ↗
- June 2026: Learning About the Sun in the Far North
- As the only state to lie partly within the Arctic Circle, Alaska experiences a range of extreme conditions. But with this comes the chance to conduct science vital to understanding the Sun-Earth system, including launching sounding rockets to study solar phenomena.
- Find the article here ↗
- May 2026: Seasons on Earth, Mars, and Beyond
- Earth has four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Other planets can experience seasons, too, but they might be wildly different from the ones that we are used to. Find out about how seasons work and what role the Sun and other stars play in causing them.
- Find the article here ↗
- April 2026: The Sun, Solar Wind, and Earth as a Connected System
- The PUNCH mission is designed to gain new insights into how the Sun's atmosphere, or corona, becomes the solar wind, how the solar wind develops as it traverses the inner heliosphere, and what impacts this evolving space weather has on the rest of the solar system.
- Find the article here ↗
- December 2025: Comets, the Sun, and You
- There are billions of icy comets orbiting our Sun, most of which go out to many billions of miles away from the inner solar system. Some have even come from beyond our solar system! This article explores what studying these tiny travelers can help us to learn about the Sun.
- Find the article here ↗
- September 2025: The Sun and Our Lives
- Back-to-school time offers a wonderful opportunity to reach students fresh off of a few months of fun in the Sun and capture their imaginations with new information about our native star. This article explores NASA's efforts to educate and inform students and educators about the Sun.
- Find the article here ↗
- July 2025: The Moon as a Laboratory
- On Earth, the atmosphere and magnetosphere protect us from most solar energy. But astronauts on the Moon do not have this same protection. This article details how for future missions to the Moon, we will need to closely study the Sun to protect humans and hardware.
- Find the article here ↗
- June 2025: Two Stars in Solar Science
- It takes a lot of work to make space missions happen. This article goes in-depth about scientists work together to make missions like the Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter happen, thereby providing a deeper understanding of the Sun and how it affects the rest of the solar system.
- Find the article here ↗
- May 2025: The Sun and the Light Shows It Creates
- Even though the Sun is far away, we can still see and feel its effects here. One of the most beautiful effects are the auroras - colorful lights that dance across the sky near the North and South Poles. This article explains how energy from the Sun creates these celestial light shows.
- Find the article here ↗