Sun

A small stuffed animal hitched a ride on the Demo-2 mission, strapped in next to NASA astronaut Bob Behnken on May 27, 2020.

The top space stories of the week!

By Elizabeth Howell

SpaceX's historic first launch was scrubbed, Virgin Orbit's first test launch fails, and a Japanese cargo ship makes one last space station delivery. All this, and more top stories from Space.com.

On the upper left side of this image from May 29, 2020, from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory — shown here in the 171-angstrom wavelength, which is typically colorized in gold — one can see a spot of light hovering above the left horizon. This light emanates from solar material tracing out magnetic field lines that are hovering over a set of sunspots about to rotate over the left limb of the sun.

Sun unleashes biggest flare since 2017. Is our star waking up?

By Mike Wall

This morning (May 29), our star fired off its strongest flare since October 2017, an eruption spotted by NASA's sun-watching Solar Dynamics Observatory.

An artist's depiction of NASA's Parker Solar Probe at work observing the sun.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe starts sun observation marathon

By Meghan Bartels

NASA's sun-grazing spacecraft is gathering the most data ever on its upcoming skim past our star, with instruments turned on for nearly two months.

The closed dome of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope

Inside the world's largest sun-spotting telescope

By Nola Taylor Redd

In January 2020, Space.com had the chance to get up close and personal with the Daniel K. Inoye Solar Telescope, the world’s largest solar telescope.

Two active regions on the sun with opposite magnetic fields: 2760 matches solar cycle 24 while 2761 matches solar cycle 25.

There are two kinds of sunspots on the sun right now amid solar cycle change

By Meghan Bartels

The sun offers plenty of brainteasers: Right now, for instance, it's sporting magnetic knots formed by two different cycles — simultaneously.

Dark sunspots increase when the sun is more active.

Our sun is a weirdly 'quiet' star — and that's lucky for all of us

By Meghan Bartels

Thank your lucky stars that the sun is pretty weird, as scientists have learned by comparing its activity with that of similar stars.

The Hi-C telescope's view of active region 12712 on the sun, including "tiny" plasma strands 125 miles across.

Each of these 'tiny' threads of blazing-hot plasma on the sun is 125 miles wide

By Meghan Bartels

The farther scientists zoom in on our sun, the more details they see.

An image of the sun captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft on April 1, 2020.

The sun may kick off a new solar weather cycle this month

By Meghan Bartels

The sun has been awfully quiet lately, but that could change starting this month, scientists say.

An artist's depiction of a solar particle storm flinging plasma off the sun.

For NASA's next sun mission, 6 tiny spacecraft will work as one massive telescope

By Meghan Bartels

Want to build the largest radio telescope to fly in space to date? Here's an easier technique: Design six tiny satellites to fly in formation and work together.

The sun has an 'Old Faithful' geyser made of plasma

By Paul Sutter

The sun is a roiling, boiling ball of plasma, constantly churning and turning itself inside out.

Here's how a massive new telescope will revolutionize our view of the sun

By Meghan Bartels

It's an image of the sun like nothing anyone has ever seen: glowing, golden kernels divided by dark latticework, like a stained-glass window forged by astrophysics.

The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter launches atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 9, 2020, at 11:03 p.m. EST (0403 GMT on Feb. 10).

See the new Solar Orbiter's 1st space measurements (and an awesome video)

By Samantha Mathewson

The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter has sent back its first measurements from space, confirming the successful deployment of the boom that carries many of its sun-gazing instruments.

About five weeks after NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory began using its instruments, this beautiful solar prominence erupted. SDO captured this data on March 30, 2010; the spacecraft launched into space on Feb. 11, 2010.

10 brilliant discoveries NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory made in its first decade in space

By Doris Elin Urrutia

This week, NASA is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Solar Dynamics Observatory, a sensitive spacecraft that has shown the world never-before-seen imagery of the sun.

On June 20, 2013, at 11:15 p.m. EDT, the sun shot out a solar flare (left side), which was followed by an eruption of solar material shooting through the sun's atmosphere.

Devastating solar storms could be far more common than we thought

By Brandon Specktor

Solar super-storms capable of damaging electric grids and satellite networks may be much more common than previously thought, a study of Earth's oldest geomagnetic index suggests.

What's next for Solar Orbiter after its historic launch to the sun

By Amy Thompson

Here's a look at what's next for the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter as it begins its long trek to the sun.

An artist's illustration of the ESA-NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft's mission to study the sun's polar regions.

Solar Orbiter: The US-European mission to explore the sun's poles in photos

By Space.com Staff

Take a look at Solar Orbiter, a spacecraft launched Feb. 9, 2020, on a mission to observe the sun in incredible, scorching detail.

An artist's depiction of the ESA-NASA Solar Orbiter and NASA's Parker Solar Probe studying the sun.

Our sun will never look the same again thanks to two solar probes and one giant telescope

By Meghan Bartels

It's always sunny for heliophysicists, but especially so now.

Europe's Solar Orbiter mission launches atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on Feb. 9, 2020.

Solar Orbiter launches on historic mission to study the sun's poles

By Amy Thompson

The European-built Solar Orbiter spacecraft is officially on its way to the sun.

The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter will take the first-ever direct images of the sun's poles.

Solar Orbiter probe launching today to unveil secrets of the sun's poles

By Amy Thompson

Solar Orbiter's observations will help scientists better understand what drives the sun's activity cycle.

An animation of Solar Orbiter, a spacecraft created through a collaboration between NASA and ESA.

Heat shield 'sandwich' will keep Solar Orbiter cool close to the sun

By Elizabeth Howell

When Solar Orbiter launches (currently scheduled for Feb. 10), its protection from the sun will come from a very special "sandwich": its heat shield.