Solar storms have influenced our history. An environmental historian explains how they could also threaten our future
In May 2024, part of the sun exploded.
Planetary Sciences
Oct 28, 2025
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Page 3: Research news on space weather
Space weather refers to the time-varying conditions in near-Earth space and throughout the heliosphere driven primarily by solar activity, including the solar wind, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), solar flares, and variations in the interplanetary magnetic field. As a physical phenomenon, it encompasses the coupling of solar outputs with Earth’s magnetosphere, ionosphere, and thermosphere, producing geomagnetic storms, substorms, ionospheric disturbances, and energetic particle events. These processes are governed by magnetohydrodynamic and plasma-physical interactions, including magnetic reconnection, wave–particle interactions, and particle acceleration, and are quantitatively characterized using indices such as Kp, Dst, AE, and measures of solar wind and IMF parameters.
Young stars ejecting plasma could offer clues into the sun's past
The sun is frequently ejecting huge masses of plasma, called coronal mass ejections (CMEs), into space. They often occur together with sudden brightenings called flares, and sometimes extend far enough to disturb Earth's ...
Astronomy
Oct 27, 2025
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Simulating solar storms for satellite operator training
Threats from space aren't always obvious, but statistically, it's only a matter of time before one of them happens. One of the most concerning for many space experts is a massive solar storm, like the one that literally lit ...
Space Exploration
Oct 25, 2025
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Space weather drill simulates Carrington-level solar storm, challenging satellite safety and mission control response
No communication or navigation, faulty electronics and collision risk. At ESA's mission control in Darmstadt, teams faced a scenario unlike any before: a solar storm of extreme magnitude. Fortunately, this nightmare unfolded ...
Space Exploration
Oct 24, 2025
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'Space tornadoes' could cause geomagnetic storms, but these phenomena aren't easy to study
Weather forecasting is a powerful tool. During hurricane season, for instance, meteorologists create computer simulations to forecast how these destructive storms form and where they might travel, which helps prevent damage ...
Astronomy
Oct 13, 2025
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New 3D model reveals geophysical structures beneath Britain
Magnetotelluric (MT) data, which contain measurements of electric and magnetic field variations at Earth's surface, provide insights into the electrical resistivity of Earth's crust and upper mantle. Changes in resistivity, ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 13, 2025
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Australians want to spend more on space—but we don't really know where we're going
This week, Sydney hosts the world's largest space conference, attracting astronauts and heads of space agencies from around the planet. It's a great time to ask: what does the average Australian think about space?
Space Exploration
Oct 1, 2025
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NASA launches mission to study sun-fueled solar bubble
A NASA mission to study the heliosphere—the sun's magnetic bubble that shields our solar system—and develop a better understanding of space weather was launched from the agency's Kennedy Space Center along Florida's Atlantic ...
Astronomy
Sep 24, 2025
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A trio of space weather satellites blast off together to study the sun's violent side
A cluster of space weather satellites blasted off Wednesday morning to cast fresh eyes on solar storms that can produce stunning auroras but also scramble communications and threaten astronauts in flight.
Space Exploration
Sep 24, 2025
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New NASA mission to reveal Earth's invisible 'halo'
A new NASA mission will capture images of Earth's invisible "halo," the faint light given off by our planet's outermost atmospheric layer, the exosphere, as it morphs and changes in response to the sun. Understanding the ...
Astronomy
Sep 19, 2025
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