Ryan French

Ryan French

Contributor

Dr. Ryan French is a solar physicist, science communicator and author. He is pursuing the mysteries of the sun at the forefront of modern solar physics research, using cutting-edge telescopes on the ground and in space. Ryan also works to share the wonders of the sun and space with the public, through museums and observatories, television, and social media on Twitter and TikTok. Ryan's first book, "The Sun: Beginner's guide to our local star" was published in 2023.

Latest articles by Ryan French

a bright white arc of light erupts from the right edge of the sun

7 years ago today, the sun unleashed a record-breaking solar flare

By Ryan French published

As August 2024 set another 20-year high for sunspots, recent solar flares have yet to top two solar flares from September 2017 that still hold unbroken records.

The Sun
A close up view of the sun showing a swirling orange surface and a bright yellow prominence at the top of the image.

3 sun mysteries we still haven't cracked

By Ryan French published

Our understanding of the sun has come a long way in recent decades, but there are still multiple outstanding mysteries that current and future missions hope to solve.

The Sun
graphic of the sun in space shows a large orange sphere against a black background.

Solar maximum is in sight but when will it arrive (and when will we know)?

By Ryan French published

We explore the latest solar maximum predictions and look into why it could be a couple of years before we can confidently state when solar maximum occurred.

The Sun
graphic illustration showing a fiery solar flare from the sun and earth in the foreground.

Are there more solar flares than expected during this solar cycle?

By Ryan French published

We explore why comparing the number of solar flares between solar cycles is more complicated than you may think and why many have got it wrong.

The Sun
graphic showing two hands typing on a laptop screen with a large image of the northern lights on the screen.

More people Googled 'northern lights' in May 2024 than in any other month in history

By Ryan French published

Public interest in the sun was at an all-time high in May. Here we explore why this was the case.

The Sun
two panel image on the left the sunspot is visible on the limb of the sun as a dark patch against a monochrome sun and on the right it is flaring with large fiery looking plasma loops of yellow.

That giant sunspot that supercharged auroras on Earth? It's back and may amp up the northern lights with June solar storms.

By Ryan French published

Old sunspot region AR 13664, now renamed AR 13697, is back. With its re-arrival, can we expect a resurgence of solar activity?

The Sun