A decade probing the sun
Ten years ago, a small satellite carrying 17 new devices, science instruments and technology experiments was launched into orbit, on a mission to investigate our star and the environment that it rules in space.
Ten years ago, a small satellite carrying 17 new devices, science instruments and technology experiments was launched into orbit, on a mission to investigate our star and the environment that it rules in space.
Space Exploration
Nov 4, 2019
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The hot outer layer of the sun, the corona, has a temperature of over a million degrees Kelvin, much more than the surface temperature of the Sun which is only about 5500 degrees Kelvin. Moreover, the corona is very active ...
Astronomy
Sep 30, 2019
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First all appears quiet. Suddenly, a bright flash lights up the telescope. In an instant, jets of super-heated plasma bloom against the blackness of space.
Space Exploration
Sep 24, 2019
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Proxima Centauri is a cool red dwarf with about one-eighth of the sun's mass. Although it is the closest star to the sun, located just 4.2 light-years from the solar system in the triple star system of alpha Centauri, it ...
Astronomy
Sep 6, 2019
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163
Astronomers have uncovered a new way of searching for life in the cosmos. Harsh ultraviolet radiation flares from red suns, once thought to destroy surface life on planets, might help uncover hidden biospheres. Their radiation ...
Astronomy
Aug 13, 2019
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648
Although solar physics is one of the most mature branches of astrophysics, the sun confronts researchers with a large number of outstanding fundamental problems. These problems include the determination of the structure ...
Space Exploration
Aug 13, 2019
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High-energy shock waves driven by solar flares and coronal mass ejections of plasma from the sun erupt throughout the solar system, unleashing magnetic space storms that can damage satellites, disrupt cell phone service and ...
Plasma Physics
Jul 30, 2019
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On Sep. 1, 1859, solar astronomer Richard Carrington witnessed sunspots that suddenly and briefly flashed brightly before they disappeared. Just before dawn the next day, auroras erupted over most of the Earth, reaching as ...
Space Exploration
Jul 11, 2019
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1
In astronomy, we have a common saying: "good luck, and clear skies." For an eclipse chaser like me, this is especially important. We have two minutes and no second chance—one small cloud can spoil everything.
Space Exploration
Jul 2, 2019
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Researchers at CU Boulder have discovered hints that humanity's favorite star may have a dual personality, with intriguing discrepancies in its magnetic fields that could hold clues to the sun's own "internal clock."
Astronomy
Jun 12, 2019
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