Earth-Based Images Shed Light on Solar Storms

BOULDER — New research from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) links a particular magnetic structure on the Sun with the genesis of powerful solar storms that can buffet Earth’s atmosphere. The research may enable scientists to create more accurate computer models of the solar storms, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and could eventually point the way to forecasting the storms days before they occur.

Sarah Gibson, a scientist at NCAR’s High Altitude Observatory (HAO), will present her findings at the American Geophysical Union conference in New Orleans on Thursday, May 26. Her invited talk is in recognition of winning this year’s Karen Harvey Prize. Awarded by the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society, the prize recognizes an early-career scientist who has produced exceptional solar research. Read The Entire Article ...

NASA's Spitzer Marks Beginning of New Age of Planetary Science

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has for the first time captured the light from two known planets orbiting stars other than our Sun. The findings mark the beginning of a new age of planetary science, in which "extrasolar" planets can be directly measured and compared.

"Spitzer has provided us with a powerful new tool for learning about the temperatures, atmospheres and orbits of planets hundreds of light-years from Earth," said Dr. Drake Deming of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., lead author of a new study on one of the planets.

"It's fantastic," said Dr. David Charbonneau of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Mass., lead author of a separate study on a different planet. "We've been hunting for this light for almost 10 years, ever since extrasolar planets were first discovered." The Deming paper appears today in Nature's online publication; the Charbonneau paper will be published in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal. Read The Entire Article ...

2004

Instrument Gets Breakthrough Image Of Sun's Magnetic Halo

ARLINGTON, Va.—A new instrument developed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., has captured landmark imagery of fast-evolving magnetic structures in the solar atmosphere. Steven Tomczyk of NCAR's High Altitude Observatory will present the images Monday, May 31, at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Denver, Colo.
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Scientist to Discuss Forecast of Sunspots

ARLINGTON, Va.—Using a new computer model of the Sun,scientists have begun work on a groundbreaking forecast of the next cycle of sunspots. Mausumi Dikpati of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., will discuss the forecast for the upcoming "cycle 24" at next week's annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Denver, Colo. Dikpati's talk is on Monday, May 31st. Predicting features of the solar cycle may help society anticipate sunspots and associated solar storms, which can disrupt communications and power systems and expose astronauts to high amounts of radiation.
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