Scientists at the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) are developing COSMO to address the need for more advance warning of CMEs heading towards our planet. The ground-based solar observatory would transform humanity’s fundamental understanding of the formation of solar eruptions and other space weather that can affect technologies – and therefore the lives and livelihoods of people – on Earth.

Using the world’s largest solar telescope, a team of scientists has captured one of the most detailed views ever of a microflare – a small yet powerful solar explosion. The images are helping scientists understand the complexity of magnetic fields powering the Sun’s smallest outbursts.

This prestigious award recognizes a mid-career scientist who has made significant and transformative contributions to the field of solar physics.

Like the Earth, the Sun likely has swirling polar vortices, according to new research led by the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR). But unlike on Earth, the formation and evolution of these vortices are driven by magnetic fields.

For the first time, scientists have taken near-daily measurements of the Sun’s global coronal magnetic field, a region of the Sun that has only been observed irregularly in the past. The resulting observations are providing valuable insights into the processes that drive the intense solar storms that impact fundamental technologies, and thus lives and livelihoods, here on Earth.