Using the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) instruments on board NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft, a consortium of scientists has seen, for the first time, large waves of solar material sweeping past Earth. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Twin NASA spacecraft have provided scientists with a view of the speed, trajectory, and three-dimensional shape of powerful explosions from the sun known as coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. This new capability will dramatically enhance scientists' ability to predict if and how these solar tsunamis could affect Earth. picked by AutumnLotus 8 months ago

The sun's next cycle of increased activity might have begun last week, according to a NASA scientist. Solar activity waxes and wanes on an 11-year cycle. During the peak, the last of which occurred in 2001 and 2002, sunspots are common and solar storms frequent. The storms, which pummel Earth with charged particles, can knock out satellites and occasionally disrupt radio and even power transmissio... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Solar activity goes in a roughly 11-year cycle. Sunspots are the visible signs of that activity, and they are the sites from which massive solar storms lift off. The past two years have marked the lowest low in the cycle since 1913, and for a while scientists were wondering if activity would ever pick back up. picked by kakana 5 months ago

Solar Cycle 23, how can we miss you if you won't go away? Barely three months after forecasters announced the beginning of new Solar Cycle 24, old Solar Cycle 23 has returned. Actually, it never left. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Images of a tsunami blasting its way through the sun's lower atmosphere have been taken for the first time.

NASA's twin STEREO spacecraft captured one of the massive solar waves in action May 19, 2007, as it moved through four layers of the solar atmosphere. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

World First "solar light energy" Handphone picked by 1fcuk 3 years ago

"In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn't shine." picked by ybcool 1 year ago

U.S. scientists say the next 11-year cycle of solar storms will likely start next March and peak in late 2011 or mid-2012. NOAA said the storms could affect power grids, critical military and airline communications, satellites, Global Positioning System signals, and even threaten astronauts with harmful radiation. picked by AutumnLotus 3 years ago

The team of engineers and scientists has embarked on the building of its 98-foot long vessel, dubbed Planet Solar, in Kiel, Germany. The boat's power will come from the 5,000 square feet of solar panels, about the size of two tennis courts, covering its broad deck. When the sun is shining bright above, they will convert 23 percent of the sun's rays to energy -- six percent more than average solar ... read full post picked by kakana 4 months ago

NASA's sun-focused STEREO spacecraft unexpectedly detected particles from the edge of the solar system last year. picked by Bornbad 1 year ago

Australian astronomers may have found a solution to how far-away Jupiter and Saturn drive the sun's solar cycle. Astronomer Dr Ian Wilson and colleagues suggest Jupiter and Saturn affect the sun's movement and its rotation, and hence its sunspot activity. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

An image released today of a distant star and its potential planetary companion could go down in history as the first picture of a planet outside our solar system orbiting a sunlike star. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

A report by the National Academy of Sciences found that if a storm as severe as one in 1859 occurred today, it could cause $1 trillion to $2 trillion in damage the first year and take four to 10 years to recover. picked by kakana 7 months ago

Traces of a distant extrasolar planet's hazy red sunset have been detected for the first time. Astronomers pointed the Hubble Space Telescope at HD 189733b, a gaseous Jupiter-like world about 63 light-years from Earth, as it passed in front of its parent star to catch a glimpse of the planet's atmosphere. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

For the first time, astronomers think that they've found evidence of an alien solar system around a star close enough to Earth to be visible to the naked eye. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Speedy solar storms carrying a billion tons of charged gas through space let out a thunderous scream before they unleash satellite-stopping radiation storms that slam into Earth's magnetic field.

I don't know if Uranus will be affected by this, Moe. picked by AutumnLotus 3 years ago

The planet-seeking Kepler spacecraft has beamed home its first images of a patch of the sky where NASA hopes to find Earth-like planets circling distant, alien stars. picked by AutumnLotus 7 months ago

After more than two years of very low sunspot activity and hardly any flares, the sun is ramping up activity now. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

"Astronomers on Wednesday announced they had spotted the first planet beyond the Solar System that has water, the precious ingredient for life." picked by deepchill 2 years ago