Sun

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

Related Topics: Stars and Galaxies

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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.

An M-class solar flare that occurred on May 19, 2022.

Sun busts out trio of moderate solar flares that might herald more activity

By Elizabeth Howell published

A trio of moderate flares blasted off from the sun on Thursday, and there might be more in store.

A strange geyser of hot and cold gas emanating from sun's surface revealed in latest images from Solar Orbiter

Sun's mysterious pole and a 'solar hedgehog' revealed in closest-ever images of the sun

By Tereza Pultarova published

A new record-breaking set of images of the sun captured by the Solar Orbiter probe during its close pass of the star in March reveals a plethora of never-before-seen details.

Artist's illustration of the sun firing out large fiery looking solar flares.

Solar flares: What are they and how do they affect Earth?

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Reference There are five different types of solar flares. Discover what solar flares are, what causes them and the effects they have on Earth in our solar flare guide.

A partial solar eclipse collage in Chile of the April 30, 2022 solar eclipse.

The moon photobombs a sunset in this otherworldly solar eclipse image

By Ailsa Harvey published

A partial solar eclipse coincided with sunset in April 2022. This image tracks the movements of the sun and eclipse stages.

The sun produced an X-class flare on May 10, 2022.

A 'mixed up' sunspot just fired off a huge solar flare

By Elizabeth Howell published

Scientists are keeping an eye on a sunspot that fired off an X-class flare while "having an identity crisis," according to SpaceWeather.com.

Artist's illustration of the parker solar probe in foreground and large orange sun in the background.

Parker Solar Probe: First spacecraft to 'touch' the sun

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Reference NASA's Parker Solar Probe is on a mission to study the sun closer than ever before. Learn more about the fastest spacecraft to date in our solar probe guide.

The solar eclipse of April 30, 2022, was visible from the GOES-16 satellite.

The 1st solar eclipse of 2022 is stunning in these satellite views

By Elizabeth Howell published

We also got a glimpse from a solar telescope in Chile.

The sun fired off a moderate-sized solar flare (center) on May 4, 2022.

Pew! Pew! Sun blasts two moderate solar flares in time for Star Wars Day

By Elizabeth Howell published

While our sun merrily blasted two moderate-size solar flares in time for Star Wars Day, auroras are likely not our destiny yet.

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

Sun fires off huge solar flare from new sunspot coming into view

By Elizabeth Howell published

The active sun fired off a powerful X-class flare Tuesday (May 3), but likely not in the direction of Earth.

The partial solar eclipse of April 30, 2022 is seen at sunset in this zoomed in view from Argentina by Timeanddate.com and partner Latinoamericano de Astroturismo.

Black Moon solar eclipse looks otherworldly in stunning images

By Elizabeth Howell published

The rare partial solar eclipse stunned skywatchers on Apirl 30. Here's a look at their images.

An artist's impression of glowing plasma, following loops of magnetic field lines that become entangled before snapping through fast magnetic reconnection.

Solar flares explode with huge energy thanks to a simple magnetic phenomenon

By Keith Cooper published

The secret to what drives powerful solar flares is literally in the palm of your hand.