Sun

SpaceX's Starship SN15 rocket prototype launches on a 10-kilometer test flight from SpaceX's Starbase test site near Boca Chica Village in South Texas on May 5, 2021.

The top space stories of the week!

By Doris Elin Urrutia

These are the top space stories this week from Space.com.

The evolution of a solar campfire and its magnetic field as generated by a computer simulation.

Mysterious heating of sun's corona powered by solar 'campfires,' study suggests

By Tereza Pultarova

The mysterious heating of the sun’s corona might be powered by miniature solar flares dubbed 'campfires,' discovered by the European-US Solar Orbiter mission last year, a new study suggests.

A total solar eclipse is seen on Monday, August 21, 2017 above Madras, Oregon. Another total solar eclipse will be visible across North America on April 8, 2024.

The Great North American Solar Eclipse of 2024 is just three years away

By Joe Rao

Three years from today, on Monday, April 8, 2024, more than half a billion people across North America have the chance to see another Great American Solar Eclipse.

This snapshot from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows a stunning prominence associated with a Sept. 8, 2010 solar flare.

Why we need to get better at predicting space weather

By Rami Qahwaji

The Sun is the most important source of energy for sustaining life on Earth, but it gives us a lot more than just light and heat.

Earth’s magnetic field protects us from the solar wind, guiding the solar particles to the polar regions.

Climate explained: How particles ejected from the sun affect Earth's climate

By Annika Seppālā

When we consider the sun's influence on Earth and our climate, we tend to think about solar radiation.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe spotted six different planets on June 7, 2020, with the sun out of frame to the left.

A string of planets in our solar system sparkles in photos from 3 different sun probes

By Elizabeth Howell

Turns out sungazing is not the only thing NASA's solar spacecraft do.

The U.S. Postal Service will release "Sun Stamps," a set of ten different postage stamps featuring imagery from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) of our nearest star.

'Sun Science' postage stamps will feature NASA solar observatory images

By Robert Z. Pearlman

A new set of postage stamps will shine light on a NASA mission exploring our nearest star.

An artist's depiction of NASA's Parker Solar Probe gathering data about the sun.

NASA Parker Solar Probe nails close flyby of sun as its space weather cycle ramps up

By Meghan Bartels

NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft kicked off the new year with another close approach to the sun on Sunday (Jan. 17) as the sun's activity picks up from a lull when the probe launched.

NASA's powerful Solar Dynamics Observatory has taken its 100 millionth photo of the sun with its Advanced Imaging Assembly instrument. The space-based observatory hit the photo milestone on Jan. 19. 2015.

Sunquakes likely triggered deep beneath solar surface

By Samantha Mathewson

Scientists have uncovered new details about the mysterious origin of seismic activity on the sun during solar flares.

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught an image of a mid-level solar flare emitted by the sun on Oct. 1, 2015.

What color is the sun?

By Benjamin Plackett

You probably learned this at school.

In 2020, scientists announced the potential discovery of phosphine in in the clouds of Venus, sparking speculation on its implications for life.

The 10 biggest space discoveries and stories of 2020

By Doris Elin Urrutia

This year saw a new age of sample-retrieval missions, protests against a telescope, an incredible visit from a dazzling comet and the ''great conjunction'' of Saturn and Jupiter.

An artist's depiction of the Solar Orbiter spacecraft flying past Venus.

Hello, Venus! Solar Orbiter spacecraft makes first swing past planet

By Meghan Bartels

The joint U.S.-European Solar Orbiter spacecraft had an appointment with Venus this morning, the first in a series of planetary flybys to hone the probe's orbit on its journey to the sun.

Diagram showing our solar system (sizes and distances not to scale).

How did the solar system form?

By Paul Sutter

The formation of the solar system is a challenging puzzle for modern astronomy and a terrific tale of extreme forces operating over immense timescales. Let's dig in.

The most powerful solar telescope released its first highly-detailed image of a sunspot.

The largest solar telescope on Earth snaps the most detailed image of a sunspot we've ever seen

By Kasandra Brabaw

Scientists recently released the most striking and detailed image of a sunspot we've ever seen.

An image of the sun taken by Solar Orbiter early in its mission shows small structures nicknamed "campfires," which were previously unknown.

The Solar Orbiter is watching a new sun weather cycle begin. Scientists are thrilled.

By Meghan Bartels

Just two weeks after the sun produced its first medium-size flare of the new solar cycle, scientists offered an update on what the newest sun-studying spacecraft has been up to.