New sunspots potentially herald increased solar activity

On May 29, 2020, a family of sunspots—dark spots that freckle the face of the sun, representing areas of complex magnetic fields—sported the biggest solar flare since October 2017. Although the sunspots are not yet visible ...

Study shows our sun is less active than similar stars

By cosmic standards the sun is extraordinarily monotonous. This is the result of a study presented by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in the upcoming issue of Science. For the first time, ...

Turbulent convection at the heart of stellar activity

In their interiors, stars are structured in a layered, onion-like fashion. In those with solar-like temperatures, the core is followed by the radiation zone. There, the heat from within is led outwards by means of radiation. ...

Rats avoid hurting other rats

Most humans feel bad about hurting others. This so-called "harm aversion" is key to normal moral development and is reduced in violent antisocial individuals. Unfortunately, little is known about what makes people harm-averse, ...

Ten things we've learned about the sun from NASA's SDO this decade

In February 2020, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory—SDO—is celebrating its 10th year in space. Over the past decade the spacecraft has kept a constant eye on the sun, studying how the sun creates solar activity and drives ...

42 years on, Voyager 2 charts interstellar space

A probe launched by NASA four days after Elvis died has delivered a treasure trove of data from beyond the "solar bubble" that envelops Earth and our neighbouring planets, scientists reported Monday.

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