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The Sun from Earth | The Sun from Space | Space Weather | The Planets |
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Each day the weather is clear in Northern Alabama, solar physicists at Marshall observe the Sun with the Solar Vector Magnetograph. The magnetograph and its telescopes can "see" in various kinds of light. The magnetograph works by measuring the polarization of light at various wavelength positions within a solar spectral line. Processing the data reveals the structure of the complicated magnetic fields on the visible surface of the Sun - contributing to research aimed at understanding the forces that drive the Sun - and their ultimate effects on Earth. We step you through the latest images captured by Marshall's Solar Team. |
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Detailed observations of sunspots have been obtained by the Royal Greenwich Observatory since 1874. These observations include information on the sizes and positions of sunspots as well as their numbers. The plots at left are both updated monthly. Monthly averages of the sunspot numbers are plotted. Data are historical from 1749; the number of sunspots visible on the sun clearly waxes and wanes with an approximate 11-year cycle. Sunspots do not appear at random over the surface of the Sun but are concentrated in two latitude bands on either side of the equator. The lower plot is called a butterfly diagram for its characteristic appearance. It shows the positions of the spots for each rotation of the sun since May 1874. The bands first form at mid-latitudes, widen, and then move toward the equator as each cycle progresses. |
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The Sun is a very dynamic object. Variations in solar features occur on time-scales from milliseconds to millennia. These pages illustrate some aspects of our ever-changing Sun. Some of these pages are kept up-to-date to show the recent behavior and current conditions on the Sun. Other pages demonstrate examples of characteristic behavior. | ||
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SOHO is designed to study the internal structure of the Sun, its extensive outer atmosphere and the origin of the solar wind, the stream of highly ionized gas that blows continuously outward through the Solar System. The SOHO web has extensive information on the daily observing targets on the sun, a gallery of photographs from each of the twelve instruments on board, and a "What's New" page, detailing the latest offerings. The latest daily images are also available. |
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Daily forecasts on auroral activity and solar weather, courtesy of the National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Administration Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colorado. | |
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The Lunar Prospector mission launches January 6, 1998 - the first mission to the moon in 25 years. The unmanned mission will begin returning answers to long-standing questions about the Moon, its resources, its structure and its origins. The lunar prospector website, hosted by NASA/Ames Research Center will provide daily updates on the mission status and recent imagery obtained. | |
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There are no current missions to Mercury or Venus; however, check out these planetary mission historical archives, courtesy of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. | |
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Courtesy of the Jet Propulsion Lab, the latest pictures and information about Mars. | |
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Courtesy of the Jet Propulsion Lab, information about Jupiter and its moons. | |
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Courtesy of the Jet Propulsion Lab, the latest pictures and information about Saturn. | |
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The Outer Planets (Neptune, Uranus, Pluto) - courtesy of the Jet Propulsion Lab. Also, historical archives of Jupiter and Saturn Voyager flybys, courtesy of NASA's Spacelink. | |
Author/Curator: Linda
Porter
NASA Official: Gregory
S. Wilson
