Tagged: sun

New observations from a NASA spacecraft could help solve a persistent mystery — why the sun’s atmosphere is so much hotter than its surface. While the sun’s visible surface is about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, its upper atmosphere, known as the corona , has temperatures in...

Luke Skywalker’s backstory may not be so fanciful after all. Some alien planets in multiple-star systems — such as the two-sun Tatooine, Luke’s home world in the “Star Wars” universe — may indeed nestle in orbits that are stable for long stretches of time, a...

Planet Earth and the life it contains wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the sun. But the sun also poses a serious threat to life, by constantly spewing harmful radiation into the solar system. Exactly how life on Earth managed to survive and thrive in...

A solar eclipse is a celestial phenomenon that does not occur very often, but they are fascinating to watch when they do. On those rare occasions when you are in the right place at the right time for a full solar eclipse, it is amazing....

When’s the last time you gazed upward and marveled at the mysterious, life-giving force that is the sun? If you believe the whole staring-at-the-sun-makes-you-go-blind thing (which is actually true), you’re probably not doing a whole lot of sun-gazing. But it’s a real marvel: The sun...

A newly launched spacecraft promises to broaden our understanding of the sun. Called the “Solar Orbiter” — or the “SolO” for short — it left the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in central Florida Sunday, Feb. 9, at 11:03 p.m. The new probe is part...

NASA’s new mission to the sun may reveal clues about alien worlds, too. Every day, we rely on the sun for warmth and light, but we need Earth’s atmosphere to protect us from our star’s harsh conditions — and because in the end our sun...

NASA’s new mission to the sun may reveal clues about alien worlds, too. Every day, we rely on the sun for warmth and light, but we need Earth’s atmosphere to protect us from our star’s harsh conditions — and because in the end our sun...

The Aztecs thought that their sun god had pockmarks on his face. The ancient Chinese referred to them as stars inside the solar orb. One Renaissance astronomer argued that they were actually undiscovered planets. Today, some believe their appearance is linked to waves of UFO...

Solar scientists have devised a new, more comprehensive way to display the magnetic field of the star that commands the center of our astral neighborhood. Though it’s 92.95 million miles (149.6 million kilometers) away from where you’re reading this, the sun affects almost every aspect...