A new simulation of the Earth’s electron radiation belts captures large-scale variations over nearly three solar cycles, and replicates primary cyclical features and extreme behaviors.
solar activity
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Plasma Activity Around Sunspots May Foreshadow Solar Storms
A new study identifies possible precursors to space weather in the regions encircling sunspots.
Posted inNews
John T. “Jack” Gosling (1938–2018)
This prolific researcher helped us understand the interactions of the solar wind and coronal mass ejections with Earth’s magnetic field.
Posted inScience Updates
Better Data for Modeling the Sun’s Influence on Climate
Several international initiatives are working to stitch together data describing solar forcing of Earth’s climate. Their objective is to improve understanding of climate response to solar variability.
Posted inNews
Edward L. Chupp (1927–2017)
This pioneer in high-energy solar physics devised instruments for observing solar and cosmic ray emissions with which he detected, for the first time, nuclear gamma rays from solar flares.
Posted inNews
Solar Flare Caused Increased Oxygen Loss from Mars’s Atmosphere
Measurements by a Mars-orbiting spacecraft indicated heating and chemistry changes in the planet’s atmosphere following an extreme solar eruption last year.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Mysterious Aurora Borealis Feature Explained for the First Time
High-speed particles cause indentations in the magnetopause to form “throat auroras.”
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Anatomy of a Flux Rope Hurtling Through the Solar System
Pancaking and erosion can explain a lot of the structural change in magnetic flux ropes as they fly evolve during their supersonic flight through the inner solar system.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Capturing Structural Changes of Solar Blasts en Route to Earth
Comparison of magnetic field structures for 20 coronal mass ejections at eruption versus Earth arrival highlights the importance of tracking structural evolution to refine space weather predictions.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Increasing Radiation Levels May Challenge Space Exploration
New research shows that solar radiation levels are growing 10% faster than previously believed and that the radiation environment in space will worsen with time.