Can We Predict Solar Storms?
When you think of natural disasters, things like hurricanes and earthquakes come to mind. Though massive solar storms are far less common, they can be even more dangerous to life as we know it. The strongest storm on record, the Carrington Event in 1859, ignited fires at telegraph stations and shut down all communications on these lines. The solar flare responsible for the storm was briefly brighter than the Sun itself and caused aurora in the tropics! If a storm that strong occurred now, it could shut down power grids, communication satellites, phone lines, and radar stations around the world. That’s why being able to predict storms is crucial to giving us time to brace for the effects and minimize damage. Using data from spacecraft observing the Sun together with AI technology, NASA can now issue warnings 30 minutes before a storm will strike, as well as where effects will be the worst, and they continue to improve their capabilities. Read More
Latest News About The Sun
Sun unleashes powerful X-flare, CME hits Earth sparking severe geomagnetic storm
January 19, 2026
Aurora alert! The colossal solar storm could impact and trigger impressive northern lights Read more
NASA's Parker Solar Probe captures solar wind doing a 'U-turn'
December 16, 2025
This may ultimately help predict space weather on longer timescales than currently possible. Read more
Astronomers create first map of the sun's outer boundary
December 11, 2025
This discovery shines light on how solar activity impacts the rest of the solar system. Read more
Unlocking the sun's magnetic secrets
December 11, 2025
AI-powered mapping reveals intricate 3D details Read more
Scientists discover cosmic 'scar' in interstellar clouds left by a close shave between our sun and 2 intruder stars
December 8, 2025
"It’s kind of a jigsaw puzzle where all the different pieces are moving." Read more
Earth just got hit by a stealth solar storm no one saw coming
November 21, 2025
The quiet arrival offers another indication that the sun is moving into the declining phase of its 11-year cycle. Read more
ESA's sun spacecraft captures 1st close-up of our star's magnetic engine in motion
November 10, 2025
"Solar Orbiter can now provide this missing piece of the puzzle." Read more
Sun unleashes 2 colossal X-class solar flares, knocking out radio signals across the Americas and Pacific
November 5, 2025
The back-to-back eruptions caused radio blackouts across two hemispheres as the active sunspots turn to face Earth. Read more
Scientists find twisting magnetic waves on the sun. Could this help solve a huge solar mystery?
November 4, 2025
"This discovery ends a protracted search for these waves that has its origins in the 1940s."
Read more
This fleet of sungazing spacecraft could help spot 'space tornadoes' headed towards Earth
October 10, 2025
Four proposed sungazing spacecraft, working together, could help speed up space weather warnings by 40%, a new study suggests. Read more
Northern lights may get stronger within the next 2 years
October 3, 2025
Auroras aren't over: the sun's decline brings more storms, and a 'last gasp' finale could light up skies in the next 2 years Read more
NASA, NOAA launch three spacecraft to map Sun’s influence across space
September 24, 2025
The spacecrafts aim to protect our satellites, interplanetary missions, and space-faring astronauts Read more
NASA analysis shows Sun’s activity ramping up
September 15, 2025
It looked like the Sun was heading toward a historic lull in activity. That trend flipped in 2008, according to new research. Read more
Models explain mysterious feature controlling magnetic properties of the Sun
September 11, 2025
UCSC mathematicians produced the first self-consistent models of the Sun’s tachocline incorporating the correct dynamical ingredients. Read more
Astrophysicists find sun's 11-year magnetic cycle mirrors younger stars, shaping Earth's space weather
September 10, 2025
Like Earth, the Sun also has its version of seasons. Read more
Double trouble: Solar Orbiter traces superfast electrons back to Sun
September 1, 2025
The Solar Orbiter mission has traced a different kind of outburst from our star Read more
The NSF Inouye Solar Telescope delivers record-breaking images of solar flare, coronal loops
August 25, 2025
The telescope captured the highest-resolution images of a solar flare Read more
Venus, Earth and Jupiter may work together to reduce the risk of extreme solar storms
August 21, 2025
Our Sun's solar activity is much more benign than that of other sun-like stars Read more
NASA just took the closest ever images of the sun
July 14, 2025
"Parker Solar Probe has once again transported us into the dynamic atmosphere of our closest star." Read more
Artificial solar eclipses in space could reveal inner workings of the sun
July 8, 2025
The method could give scientists a new way to study the Sun Read more
First images from new ISS solar telescope reveal subtle 'fluctuations' in sun's outer atmosphere
June 30, 2025
They could help scientists better predict potentially dangerous space weather events Read more
Solar Orbiter images Sun’s poles
June 12, 2025
The ESA/ESA Solar Orbiter spacecraft reveals the Sun from a whole new angle Read more
NASA's Parker Solar Probe spots powerful magnetic explosion aimed at the sun's surface
June 8, 2025
These observations could help us predict geomagnetic storms on Earth Read more
Giant 'senior citizen' sunspot on 3rd trip around the sun could break a century-old record
May 30, 2025
The large sunspot has just reappeared on the sun's Earth-facing surface Read more
“Raindrops in the Sun’s corona”
May 27, 2025
New adaptive optics shows stunning details of our star’s atmosphere Read more
It's been one year since the most intense solar storm in decades created worldwide auroras. What have we learned?
May 10, 2025
It was a reminder of our sun's disruptive capabilities Read more
The Sun makes water on the Moon, says NASA-led study
April 21, 2025
This could have huge implications for future crewed missions Read more
A hidden solar cycle is awakening, but more extreme space weather over the next 50 years may not be a bad thing
April 17, 2025
"The next set of solar cycles will be more active." Read more
The sun just leaked a huge amount of helium-3
April 11, 2025
Helium-3 is a rare isotope—and scientists are looking to the Moon to harvest it Read more
Sunspots may be visible during the March 29 partial solar eclipse. Here's how to spot them.
March 24, 2025
It the perfect time to watch the moon reveal dark patches on the surface of the sun Read more
Fascinating Facts About The Sun
- The energy Earth receives from the Sun is 10,000 times the total world energy use, or about 48,000,000,000 kWh every second. Look at your electricity bill. How many kWh did you use last month? Divide that by 2,600,000 to get the kWh you used each second.
- It is a ball of plasma (super-heated gas) composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium, with trace amounts of other elements that were produced by much more massive stars and then distributed throughout the galaxy when those stars exploded.
- Its core, which is 15,000,000°C, is 13 times denser than lead. The nuclear fusion happening there is the source of all the Sun's energy.
- The 'surface of the Sun' is a thin layer called the photosphere, which is 5,500°C. It's where all the sunlight we receive comes from, and what defines the shape of the Sun we see in the sky.
- Its outer atmosphere, called the corona, can be as hot as 1,000,000°C. It can only be seen by human eyes during a total solar eclipse, when the photosphere is blocked by the Moon. Except for during totality of an eclipse, NEVER look directly at the Sun without specialized eclipse-viewing glasses sold by a reputable scientific equipment company.
- Its light is essentially white to our eyes, having only an imperceptibly higher amount of yellow light in it. Fresh, pure snow reflects over 90% of visible light, so it closely resembles the color of sunlight.
- Though its size is small among all types of stars, it is much bigger than most of the stars around us, since smaller red dwarf stars dominate our galaxy.
- Every 11 years, it reverses its magnetic polarity: its north pole becomes a south pole, and vice versa. During this change, solar activity is higher, creating more sun spots, flares, and eruptions.
- It takes light over 100,000 years to get from the Sun's core to its surface, traveling through the dense layers of plasma. It would take about 2 seconds for light to move that distance through empty space. It then takes 8 minutes and 20 seconds to get to Earth.
Sources: NASA, US Department of Energy, US Energy Information Administration
Missions
Solar Orbiter (2020)
Taking the closest ever images of the Sun, it is studying its 11-year cycle, the temperature of the corona, and the solar wind
Parker Solar Probe (2018)
Getting 7 times closer to the Sun than any previous spacecraft, it is exploring the Sun’s atmosphere by flying through it at 430,000 mph
DSCOVR (2015)
The Deep Space Climate Observatory monitors changes in the solar wind, providing space weather alerts and forecasts for geomagnetic storms that could disrupt power grids, satellites, telecommunications, aviation and GPS
IRIS (2013)
The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph observes how solar material produces energy that heats up the Sun’s atmosphere
Solar Dynamics Observatory (2010)
Studies the Sun’s energy, the workings inside the Sun and how energy is stored and released
STEREO (2006)
The Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, a pair of spacecraft, has provided stereoscopic measurements to study the Sun, space weather and coronal mass ejections
ACE (1997)
The Advanced Composition Explorer contributes to our understanding of the Sun, its interaction with Earth, and the evolution of the Solar System
SOHO (1996)
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory is investigating the Sun's core, corona, and solar wind; it also makes comet discoveries
Ulysses (1990)
Observed the north and south poles of the Sun through a series of passes in 1994/1995, 2000/2001, and 2007/2008
Helios A&B (1974-1976)
Observed solar wind, magnetic and electric fields, cosmic rays and cosmic dust between Earth and the Sun
Pioneer 6-9 (1965-1968)
A network of solar-orbiting "space weather" monitors, observing solar wind, cosmic rays, and magnetic fields; a few are still functional