The solar corona as a research area focuses on the physical processes governing the Sun’s outer atmosphere, characterized by low densities, high temperatures (∼10⁶ K), and complex magnetic structures. It integrates observational solar physics, plasma astrophysics, and magnetohydrodynamics to study coronal heating, magnetic reconnection, wave propagation, flares, and coronal mass ejections. Research emphasizes multi-wavelength diagnostics (EUV, X-ray, radio), spectropolarimetry, and numerical modeling to infer coronal magnetic fields, energy transport, and particle acceleration. This domain is central to understanding space weather, heliospheric conditions, and the coupling between the photosphere, chromosphere, and interplanetary medium.
At more than one million degrees, the sun's atmosphere—the corona—is incredibly hot; but not everywhere. Time and again, huge structures of significantly cooler solar plasma—about 10,000 degrees—appear within the corona. ...
Astronomy
Apr 22, 2026
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Since July 2025, the European Space Agency's pair of Proba-3 satellites has already created 57 artificial solar eclipses. So far, the mission has collected more than 250 hours of high-resolution videos of the sun's atmosphere, ...
Astronomy
Apr 13, 2026
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Fast solar winds originating from the sun can have direct impacts on Earth—disrupting systems like GPS, aviation, electrical grids, and satellite and radio communications. A new paper by New Mexico State University astronomy ...
Astronomy
Apr 8, 2026
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During the Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, NASA will test out a pair of new solar radiation forecasts, developed at University of Michigan Engineering, designed to protect astronauts venturing away from Earth. The ...
Space Exploration
Apr 2, 2026
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A Southwest Research Institute-led study found that protons and heavy ions react differently to solar magnetic reconnection events, revealing a more complex magnetic engine powering the solar wind. Magnetic reconnection converts ...
Astronomy
Mar 31, 2026
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The European Space Agency announced Thursday it has re-established communication with a spacecraft that is part of its Proba-3 mission, after losing contact with the satellite a month ago.
Space Exploration
Mar 19, 2026
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On April 8, 2024, people across the world witnessed a solar eclipse, a relatively rare event in which the moon occults (blocks out) light from the sun. To capture this event, volunteers at 143 observatories across the U.S. ...
Space Exploration
Mar 5, 2026
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Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi have uncovered new clues about how energy moves through the sun's outer atmosphere, using one of nature's rarest events as their window: total solar eclipses. Drawing on more than ...
Astronomy
Feb 18, 2026
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Using data collected by NASA's Parker Solar Probe during its closest approach to the sun, a University of Arizona-led research team has measured the dynamics and ever-changing "shell" of hot gas from where the solar wind ...
Space Exploration
Jan 30, 2026
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When a solar storm strikes Earth, it can disrupt technology that's vital for our daily lives. Solar storms occur when magnetic fields and electrically charged particles collide with Earth's magnetic field. This type of event ...
Space Exploration
Jan 26, 2026
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