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THE SUN |
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Why We Study the Sun
The Big Questions Magnetism - The Key |
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SOLAR STRUCTURE |
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The Interior
The Photosphere The Chromosphere The Transition Region The Corona The Solar Wind The Heliosphere |
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SOLAR FEATURES |
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Photospheric Features
Chromospheric Features Coronal Features Solar Wind Features |
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THE SUN IN ACTION |
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The Sunspot Cycle
Solar Flares Post Flare Loops Coronal Mass Ejections Surface and Interior Flows Helioseismology |
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THE MSFC SOLAR GROUP |
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The People
Their Papers Their Presentations |
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RESEARCH AREAS |
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Flare Mechanisms
3D Magnetic Fields The Solar Dynamo Solar Cycle Prediction Sunspot Database Coronal Heating Solar Wind Dynamics |
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PREVIOUS PROJECTS |
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GOES SXI Instrument
MSFC Magnetograph MSSTA Orbiting Solar Obs. Skylab Solar Maximum Mission SpaceLab 2 The Sun in Time (EPO) TRACE Ulysses Yohkoh |
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CURRENT PROJECTS |
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GONG
Hinode RHESSI STEREO SDO SOHO |
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FUTURE PROJECTS |
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Solar Probe
Interstellar Probe |
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VIDEOS |
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Solar Probe Plus
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The Solar Physics Group at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center was formed in the early 1970's in conjunction with the Apollo Skylab Mission. These pages contain an overview of solar physics itself along with highlights of our own work, our current projects, and possible future missions.
Sun Facts
- Solar radius = 695,990 km = 432,470 mi = 109 Earth radii
- Solar mass = 1.989 1030 kg = 4.376 1030 lb = 333,000 Earth masses
- Solar luminosity (energy output of the Sun) = 3.846 1033 erg/s
- Surface temperature = 5770 K = 9,930° F
- Surface density = 2.07 10-7 g/cm3 = 1.6 10-4 Air density
- Surface composition = 70% H, 28% He, 2% (C, N, O, ...) by mass
- Central temperature = 15,600,000 K = 28,000,000° F
- Central density = 150 g/cm3 = 8 x Gold density
- Central composition = 35% H, 63% He, 2% (C, N, O, ...) by mass
- Solar age = 4.57 109 yr
- Solar mass = 1.989 1030 kg = 4.376 1030 lb = 333,000 Earth masses
New/Updated Pages
- The Sunspot Cycle - Updated 2013/02/01
- Sunspot Cycle Predictions - Updated 2013/02/01
- RGO/USAF/NOAA Sunspot Database - Updated 2013/02/01
- Papers - Updated 2013/01/29 (Cirtain et al. 2013)
- Papers - Updated 2012/12/10 (Rightmire-Upton, Hathaway, and Kosak 2012)
- Papers - Updated 2012/11/02 (Hathaway 2012b)
- Papers - Updated 2012/06/05 (Falconer et al. 2012)
- Papers - Updated 2012/04/02 (Hathaway 2012)
- Papers - Updated 2012/03/2 (Moore, Falconer, and Sterling 2012)
- Presentations - Updated 2011/12/27 (The Solar Dynamo Saga: Chapter 12)
- The Solar Interior - Updated 2011/04/04
- The Solar Dynamo - Updated 2011/04/04
- Papers - Updated 2012/02/16 (Hathaway 2011)
- Papers - Updated 2011/03/14 (Wilson 2011a)
- Papers - Updated 2011/03/01 (Hathaway and Rightmire 2011)
- Papers - Updated 2011/02/03 (Hathaway et al. 2010)
- Papers - Updated 2011/02/03 (Falconer et al. 2011)
- Papers - Updated 2011/01/20 (Moore et al. 2011)
- Papers - Updated 2010/07/06 (Wilson 2010b)
- Papers - Updated 2010/07/06 (Moore and LaBonte 1980)
- Papers - Updated 2010/07/06 (Moore and Roumeliotis 1992)
- Papers - Updated 2010/03/29 (Hathaway and Rightmire 2010)
- Papers - Updated 2010/03/16 (Hathaway 2010b)
- Papers - Updated 2010/03/16 (Wilson 2010a)
- Papers - Updated 2010/03/02 (Hathaway 2010a)
- Sunspot Cycle Predictions - Updated 2013/02/01
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