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In the News – 2010

Global Eruption Rocks the Sun
Global Eruption Rocks the Sun
12.13.10 – Filaments of magnetism snapped and exploded, shock waves raced across the stellar surface, billion-ton clouds of hot gas billowed into space.


Solar Observation Mission Celebrates 15 Years
Solar Observation Mission Celebrates 15 Years
12.01.10 – Since launch in 1995, SOHO has revolutionized what we know about the solar atmosphere and violent solar storms produced by the sun


Profiling the Largest Solar Explosions
Profiling the Largest Solar Explosions
11.18.10 – A new way of looking at old data has changed our understanding of CME’s: there isn’t enough energy passing through the surface during the eruption to drive the explosion, the trigger comes from the sun’s atmosphere instead.

Yihua Zheng: A New Breed of Weather Forecaster
Yihua Zheng: A New Breed of Weather Forecaster
11.15.10 – Yihua Zheng is the lead for NASA’s Space Weather Services – the organization that alerts mission leaders when solar storms are headed towards Earth or NASA’s spacecraft.


Sunspot 1123 Hurls Filament toward Earth
Sunspot 1123 Hurls Filament toward Earth
11.12.10 – Active sunspot 1123 erupted during early on Nov. 12, producing a C4-class solar flare and hurling a filament of material in the general direction of Earth.


Sunspot 1121 Unleashes X-ray Flare
Sunspot 1121 Unleashes X-ray Flare
11.08.10 – On Saturday, Active Region 1112 unleashes an M class solar flare.



Sun’s Northern Hemisphere Bristling with Solar Flares
Sun’s Northern Hemisphere Bristling with Solar Flares
10.26.10 – With a large active region currently in the northern hemisphere of the Sun, there has been a flurry of small solar flares over the past day.


Sunspot 1112 Crackling with Solar Flares
Sunspot 1112 Crackling with Solar Flares
10.18.10 – Sunspot 1112 was very active this past weekend, sending out several solar flares as a vast filament traversed the Sun’s southern hemisphere.


C3-class Solar Flare Erupts
C3-class Solar Flare Erupts
09.09.10 – Just as sunspot 1105 was turning away from Earth on Sept. 8, the active region erupted, producing a C3-class solar flare (peak @ 2330 UT) and a fantastic prominence.


NASA Selects Science Invest. for Solar Probe Plus
NASA Selects Science Invest. for Solar Probe Plus
09.02.10 – NASA has selected science investigations for a new Heliophysics mission called Solar Probe Plus.


Activity from Aug. 1 CME Subsides
Activity from Aug. 1 CME Subsides
08.06.10 – Another great image from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) of the solar event on August 1. Increased aurora activity because of the Aug. 1 event has subsided.


Why NASA Keeps a Close Eye on the Sun’s Irradiance
Why NASA Keeps a Close Eye on the Sun’s Irradiance
05.25.10 – For more than two centuries, scientists have wondered how much heat and light the sun expels, and whether this energy varies enough to change Earth’s climate.


NASA’s SDO Begins Five-Year Mission of Discovery
NASA’s SDO Begins Five-Year Mission of Discovery
05.17.10 ’ NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) passed a major milestone on May 14, when it completed its post-launch check out and officially began its five-year science mission to study the sun.


3D Sun for the iPhone
3D Sun for the iPhone
02.18.10 – Imagine holding the entire sun in the palm of your hand. Now you can with the help of a new iPhone app developed by NASA-supported programmers.


SDO to Spike Vital Space Weather Data
SDO to Spike Vital Space Weather Data
02.09.10 – SDO is set to relay tons of data about the Sun and its affect on the Earth.



Q and A with SDO Program Executive Dana Brewer
Q and A with SDO Program Executive Dana Brewer
02.08.10 – Read through a question-and-answer session with SDO Program Executive Dana Brewer.