When the Earth's and the Sun's magnetic fields meet, they realign in explosive and mysterious reconnections. Data suggest that plasma waves called kinetic Alfvén waves play a key role.
solar activity
Posted inAGU News
Yeo Receives 2016 Fred L. Scarf Award
Kok Leng Yeo will receive the Fred L. Scarf Award at the 2016 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, to be held 12–16 December in San Francisco, Calif. This award is given annually to one honoree in recognition of an outstanding dissertation that contributes directly to solar-planetary science.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Lab Experiment Tests What Triggers Massive Solar Eruptions
In a first-of-its-kind demonstration, scientists provide experimental support for a possible mechanism behind the formation of coronal mass ejections.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Jupiter's Auroras Recharge Between Solar Storms
New research suggests that Jupiter's magnetic field replenishes its stock of plasma during lulls in solar activity, creating spectacular displays when a solar storm hits.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Tracking Ions at the Edge of the Atmosphere
The first results from a recently launched satellite hold promise for studying solar storms, the very top of Earth's ionosphere, and how the atmosphere is evolving.
Posted inNews
Did Solar Flares Cook Up Life on Earth?
Scientists have found that "super" solar flares could have warmed the ancient planet and jump-started life.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Toward an Understanding of Earth-Affecting Solar Eruptions
Coronal mass ejection forecasting improves with technological developments and increasing availability of data.
Posted inScience Updates
Radiation Belt Processes in a Declining Solar Cycle
The Van Allen Probes began an extended mission in November to advance understanding of Earth's radiation belts.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Satellite Shows Earth's Magnetic Field Bent During a Solar Storm
When solar storms strike, they weaken Earth's defenses against harmful radiation. New satellite measurements reveal just how much.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Sun's Magnetic Fields Best at Forecasting Solar Cycle Peaks
Models based on the Sun's polar magnetic fields performed best in simulating the solar cycle and predicting solar behavior.