Lyman-alpha emissions convey a major part of the solar-flare photon energy reaching Earth and play a significant role in flare-driven enhancements of ionospheric conductivity.
Solar and stellar variability
Posted inNews
Giant Planets and Brown Dwarfs Form in Different Ways
Once thought to be part of the same population, planets larger than Jupiter and “failed stars” likely grow via different mechanisms, the Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey has shown.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Preserving a 45-Year Record of Sunspots
Maps reveal how the Sun’s magnetic field evolves through solar cycles.
Posted inOpinions
To Understand Future Solar Activity, One Has to Know the Past
Short-term funding strategies present serious problems for programs like solar activity studies, where observations and analysis span decades or longer.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Spacecraft Returns Its First Data on Martian Solar Irradiance
Scientists demonstrate the capabilities and limitations of the mathematical model used to calculate solar irradiance using measurements from NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN).
Posted inResearch Spotlights
What Causes Sunspot Pairs?
Analysis of magnetic fields on the Sun's surface offers a new clue on why sunspots appear.
Posted inScience Updates
Rapid Coordination Extends Space-Based Sun-Climate Record
Faced with the prospect of a large data gap in solar irradiance records, scientists take steps to ensure that this key climate variable stays monitored.