The Sun and Space Weather: Deeper Dive
The Sun causes a lot of visible and invisible activity in our Solar System. What are solar eclipses and space weather, and what causes them? Take your curiosity about the Sun to the next level by exploring an array of links and resources below.
The Sun and Space Weather is a live, 15-minute, family-friendly program hosted by Morrison Planetarium presenters in Hohfeld Hall. Showtimes include Monday-Friday at 1:40 pm, and Saturday-Sunday at 11:30 am, 1:40 pm, and 3:50 pm. See full schedule at the Daily Calendar.
Solar Eclipses
What are solar eclipses and how can you observe one? Explore more with the links below.
- A video from National Geographic with the basics of solar eclipses
- How to view a solar eclipse safely
- Where you can see the 2023 annular and 2024 total solar eclipses: 2023 and 2024
- We can see the Sun’s corona during a total solar eclipse. What is the corona and why is it so hot?
- American Astronomical Society eclipse resources
- Interactive 2024 eclipse from NASA Eyes
- A video from Exploratorium about how we predict eclipses
- Resources from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
- Eclipse coloring sheets:
Space Weather
There is a lot of activity on the Sun that can cause space weather. What are solar flares, solar wind, sunspots, and more? Explore more with the links below.
- NASA’s solar storm and space weather FAQs
- The difference between a coronal mass ejection (CME) and a flare
- How solar wind affects Earth and how we’re learning about it
Magnetic Fields
Space weather has a lot to do with magnetic fields. What are magnetic fields? Explore more with the link below.
Community Science Projects
You can get involved with solar science by participating in a community science project. Community science is a global movement through which scientists and non-scientists alike make observations, collect data, and help answer some of our planet's most pressing questions. Explore a project with the links below.
- Join the hunt for solar jets.
- Help track active regions on the Sun
- Listen to the sounds of space with the HARP project
- Have you seen the Northern Lights (Aurora)? Help track them here!
- Studying how eclipses affect life on Earth
Explore more of the Universe
You can fly around with the same software we use in the planetarium at home using the free, open-source planetarium software OpenSpace!
