Sun Stories
![In the background, the bottom half of the image is filled with a portion of Earth. The top half is the very dark blue of space. Separating the two are bands of glowing greens and red, depicting the upper layers of Earth's atmosphere. In the foreground, a satellite. The satellite has two rectangular wing-like structures jutting out from the right and left of a silver rectangular box. On the top are 3 large white dishes.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/gold-comp2-00502-labeled.jpg?w=4096&format=jpeg)
Alphabet Soup: NASA’s GOLD Finds Surprising C, X Shapes in Atmosphere
Who knew Earth’s upper atmosphere was like alphabet soup? NASA’s Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission has revealed unexpected C- and X-shaped formations in an electrified layer of gas high above our heads called the ionosphere. While…
![An image of the Sun shows a bright flash in the bottom right side where a solar flare erupts.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/sdo-x5pt8-flare-0122ut-may-11-2024-171-193-131.jpg?w=4096&format=jpeg)
How NASA Tracked the Most Intense Solar Storm in Decades
May 2024 has already proven to be a particularly stormy month for our Sun. During the first full week of May, a barrage of large solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) launched clouds of charged particles and magnetic fields…
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1-coronal-mass-ejection-captured-by-sdo-1.jpg?w=4096&format=jpeg)
NASA Scientists Gear Up for Solar Storms at Mars
The Sun will be at peak activity this year, providing a rare opportunity to study how solar storms and radiation could affect future astronauts on the Red Planet. In the months ahead, two of NASA’s Mars spacecraft will have an…
![The left image shows thin swirls of bright golden material flowing off the Sun's surface. The outline of a white box is over a speckled area of the surface, in gray and bright gold. On the right, is that area in different wavelengths. The image is purple, black, red, orange, and right yellow. In the highlighted area, the speckles are a very bright yellow with some cooler purple areas.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/unknown.png?w=4096&format=png)
NASA Observations Find What Helps Heat Roots of ‘Moss’ on Sun
Did you know the Sun has moss? Due to its resemblance to the earthly plants, scientists have named a small-scale, bright, patchy structure made of plasma in the solar atmosphere “moss.” This moss, which was first identified in 1999 by…
![Against a black background, the total solar eclipse. It is a black circle surrounded by white, wispy streams of light that flow away from the black circle in every direction.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/nhq202404080101large.jpg?w=4096&format=jpeg)
The April 8 Total Solar Eclipse: Through the Eyes of NASA
On April 8, 2024, the Moon’s shadow swept across North America, treating millions to a breathtaking view of a total solar eclipse. As the Moon passed in front of the Sun, it revealed the Sun’s wispy white outer atmosphere —…
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/screenshot-2024-04-02-at-2.55.25-pm.png?w=4096&format=png)
Scientists Pursue the Total Solar Eclipse with NASA Jet Planes
The April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse will produce stunning views across North America. While anyone along the eclipse path with a clear sky will see the spectacular event, the best view might be 50,000 feet in the air, aboard…
![A model showing the evolution of the solar corona prediction for April 8, 2024. It shows the solar corona as white light with defined structure encircling a black disk. The structured light ripples and changes throughout the animation, which represents coronal predictions.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/corona-prediction.jpeg?w=4096&format=jpeg)
Scientists Use NASA Data to Predict Solar Corona Before Eclipse
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to correctly reference which NASA supercomputer was used. Our Sun, like many stars, is adorned with a crown. It’s called a corona (Latin for “crown” or “wreath”) and consists of long, thread-like strands of…
![An image from the SOHO spacecraft shows the Sun covered by a red disk. A white circle within that disk shows the size of the Sun. Around the disk, white and orange streamers in the solar corona extend away from the Sun. In the upper left, a small white box opens up into a larger white box that has “SOHO-5000” written above a faint dot with one short, vertical white line above it and another below it. At the bottom is written “2024/03/25 03:48” and “ESA/NASA SOHO/LASCO C2.”](https://cdn.statically.io/img/science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/soho5000-still-inset3.jpg?w=4096&format=jpeg)
ESA, NASA Solar Observatory Discovers Its 5,000th Comet
On March 25, 2024, a citizen scientist in the Czech Republic spotted a comet in an image from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft, which has now been confirmed to be the 5,000th comet discovered using SOHO data. SOHO…
![Sunlight passes through the Moon’s rugged terrain creating the Baily’s Beads effect during the total solar eclipse Aug. 21, 2017](https://cdn.statically.io/img/science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/5663_Bailys_Beads-1.jpeg?w=4096&format=jpeg)
Sketch the Shape of the Sun for Science During the Solar Eclipse
Calling all eclipse admirers! The SunSketcher team is looking for one million volunteers to capture photos on their cell phones during the April 8 total solar eclipse. These images will help scientists learn about the size, shape, and inner structure…
![A man in a blue shirt crouches on grass. He is holding a large camera up to his eye and is pointing it at the sky. He has a large smile on his face. Behind him, many people are gathered in the shade of a tree.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ksc-20170821-ph-jbs01-0087medium-1-e1710195303877.jpg?w=4096&format=jpeg)
Eclipse Photographers Will Help Study Sun During Its Disappearing Act
As the Sun temporarily disappears from midday skies over North America on April 8, 2024, hundreds of volunteers will capture photos of the total solar eclipse to help us better understand the Sun and its relationship with Earth. These photographers…