Solar Astronomy
Solar Flares and Solar Magnetic Reconnection Get New Spotlight in Two Blazing Studies
Two recent studies published in The Astrophysical Journal discuss findings regarding solar flare properties and a new classification index and…
The Sun’s Magnetic Field Might Only Be Skin Deep
It's coming back! Sunspot AR3664 gave us an amazing display of northern lights in mid-May and it's now rotating back…
Solar Orbiter Takes a Mind-Boggling Video of the Sun
You've seen the Sun, but you've never seen the Sun like this. This single frame from a video captured by…
The Sun Gets Feisty, Throwing Off Three X-Class Flares Within 24 Hours
The Sun is heading toward solar maximum (which is likely to be about a year away) and as it does,…
Solar Physics: Why study it? What can it teach us about finding life beyond Earth?
Universe Today has investigated the importance of studying impact craters, planetary surfaces, exoplanets, and astrobiology, and what these disciplines can…
We Just had the Strongest Solar Flare in the Current Solar Cycle
On December 14th, at 12:02 PM Eastern (09:02 AM Pacific), the Sun unleashed a massive solar flare. According to the…
The Solar Radius Might Be Slightly Smaller Than We Thought
Two astronomers use a pioneering method to suggest that the size of our Sun and the solar radius may be…
Parker Makes its Closest and Fastest Solar Flyby
The Parker Solar Probe is the little engine that just keeps going and going by the Sun. On September 27th,…
Is the Solar Wind Coming From These Tiny Jets on the Sun?
Ever since the first direct observations of the solar wind in 1959, astronomers have worked to figure out what powers…
A Massive Solar Storm was Detected on Earth, Mars, and the Moon
The coronal mass ejection on October 28th, 2021, was measured by missions on Earth, the Moon, and Mars for the…