Sun

The sun is the star at the center of our solar system.

Related Topics: Stars and Galaxies

Latest Updates

An artist depiction close-up of the sun showing solar surface activity.

Surprise solar storm bashes Earth, with a second wave predicted for Monday

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

NOAA reported that a "moderate" solar storm struck Earth over the weekend, and another once could hit today.

artist's depiction

Solar storm from hole in the sun will hit Earth on Wednesday (Aug. 3)

By Ben Turner published

Holes in the sun can beam out solar material at 500 miles per second.

An image of the sun showing coronal loops of plasma in the star's atmosphere.

Some messy 'coronal loops' on the sun may be an optical illusion

By Robert Lea published

Since the 1960s, researchers have been searching for a 3D model of coronal loops of bright plasma seen on the sun. New research is causing scientists to rethink this phenomenon.

Does the sun rotate?: rotation of the sun by latitude

Does the sun rotate?

By Robert Lea published

Reference Does the sun rotate? At the center of our solar system, it's tempting to think of the sun as unmoving. Yet, it undergoes a complex form of rotation.

A small satellite deployed from the International Space Station.

Satellites can disappear in major solar storms and it could take weeks to find them

By Tereza Pultarova published

Satellites and space debris objects in low Earth orbit could get lost for weeks if a major solar storm hit Earth, increasing the risk of collisions and rendering the space around Earth unsafe.

An image of the sun produced by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory showing a large sunspot near the sun's equator.

Sun outburst prompts warnings of moderate solar storm this weekend

By Brett Tingley published

Intense geomagnetic storms are possible in the coming days as Earth's magnetic field is bombarded by a solar storm cloud.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the solar flare May 3, 2022, which is visible at lower left.

Solar wind blowing from the sun could trigger aurora displays

By Tereza Pultarova published

Solar wind is blowing from the sun with unusual intensity these days, and space weather forecasters think it might make polar lights brighter.

a major solar flare

Is the electric grid ready for extreme space weather?

By Greg Uyeno published

It's clear that space weather can cause blackouts, but scientists are still working to predict extreme events and forecast their potentially devastating effects.

A growing number of Starlink satellites can be found in low orbit around Earth.

SpaceX's Starlink satellites will help improve space weather forecasts amid sun's unpredictable activity

By Tereza Pultarova published

SpaceX's Starlink satellites are providing data to NOAA to help improve space weather forecasts as spacecraft operators struggle with unexpected effects of frequent solar eruptions.

moon passing in front of sun

NASA sun mission spots stunning solar eclipse in space

By Elizabeth Howell published

A sungazing spacecraft captured the moon passing in front of the face of the sun Wednesday (June 29).

The massive X1.1 class solar flare detected on Sunday (April 17) now seems to be from a third active region of sunspots that's rotating onto the sun's visible disk behind the other two.

NASA's solar forecast is turning out to be wrong. This team's model is still on track.

By Tereza Pultarova published

The sun is acting out, and solar weather forecasters are baffled. But one scientist might know what's going on.

lightsail and africa

LightSail 2 celebrates 3rd space birthday as end of mission approaches

By Elizabeth Howell published

LightSail 2 is now marking three years of spaceflight, but is unlikely to celebrate a fourth anniversary.

European Space Agency's Swarm satellites have been monitoring the magnetic field around Earth since 2013.

Wild solar weather is causing satellites to plummet from orbit. It's only going to get worse.

By Tereza Pultarova published

Some low-Earth-orbit satellites are falling to Earth 10 times faster since the sun started acting out last year.

dark spots on the sun's disk

A giant sunspot the size of 3 Earths is facing us right now

By Elizabeth Howell published

A sunspot nearly triple the size of Earth is within firing range of our planet and may send out medium-class flares in the near future.

A NASA view of a long-duration solar flare on June 13, 2022.

A long solar flare just erupted from the sun and the video is stunning

By Mike Wall published

The sun flexed its considerable magnetic muscles today (June 13), and two solar spacecraft captured the show on video.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this sequence of the 2012 transit of Venus from space.

Venus crossed the sun's face 10 years ago. Most people alive will never see the sight again.

By Tom Kerss published

On the 10th anniversary of the last transit of Venus, find out what makes these events so special and what else to look out for during the long wait for the next one.

An artist's depiction of NASA's Parker Solar Probe studying the sun.

NASA's sun-grazing Parker Solar Probe will zip through its 12th stellar closeup today

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA's sun-grazing spacecraft will make its 12th close flyby of our star on Wednesday (June 1), marking the halfway point of the mission.

A man rides a bicycle across midtown Manhattan during sunset.

First 'Manhattanhenge' of 2022 will beam sunset between NYC buildings on Memorial Day weekend

By Elizabeth Howell published

People in New York can catch the gorgeous "Manhattanhenge" this Memorial Day weekend on May 29 and 30.

Orange sun with black sunspots on the surface.

Sunspots: What are they, and why do they occur?

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Reference Sunspots are cooler, planet-size regions of strong magnetic fields on the surface of the sun. Explore sunspots in more detail with our comprehensive guide.

Image of coronal mass ejections, large wispy orange flares emitted from the sun.

Coronal mass ejections: What are they and how do they form?

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Reference Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are colossal expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the sun's corona. Explore CMEs in more detail here in our guide.