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The heliosphere blocks many cosmic rays, shown as bright streaks in this animated image, from reaching the planets of our solar system.

Scientists call the region of space influenced by the sun the heliosphere – but without an interstellar probe, they don't know much about its shape

By Sarah A. Spitzer published

The sun warms the Earth, making it habitable for people and animals. But that's not all it does, and it affects a much larger area of space.

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An aurora visible over Utah from the International Space Station, photographed in Oct. 28, 2023 by an Expedition 70 astronaut.

New study shows mysterious solar particle blasts can devastate the ozone layer, bathing Earth in radiation for years

By Alan Cooper, Pavle Arsenovic published

The remarkable aurora in early May this year demonstrated the power that solar storms can emit as radiation, but occasionally the sun does something far more destructive.

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graphic of the sun in space shows a large orange sphere against a black background.

Solar maximum is in sight but when will it arrive (and when will we know)?

By Ryan French published

We explore the latest solar maximum predictions and look into why it could be a couple of years before we can confidently state when solar maximum occurred.

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graphic illustration showing a fiery solar flare from the sun and earth in the foreground.

Are there more solar flares than expected during this solar cycle?

By Ryan French published

We explore why comparing the number of solar flares between solar cycles is more complicated than you may think and why many have got it wrong.

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NEOWISE is depicted in an artist’s concept in front of an image of the infrared sky that the mission captured. The string of red dots moving across the sky near the center of the image is Holda, the first asteroid the space telescope detected shortly after being reactivated in 2013.

After 14 years in space, NASA's prolific NEOWISE asteroid-hunter is about to shut down

By Samantha Mathewson published

A NASA asteroid-hunting mission is coming to a close, paving the way for the next generation of planetary defense efforts.

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a t-shaped space station passes in front of a fiery sun

Astrophotographer captures extraordinary footage of the ISS flying in front of the sun

By Miguel Claro last updated

Astrophotographer Miguel Claro caught the International Space Station as it crossed in front of the sun, making for a truly epic time-lapse photo.

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graphic illustration of the SDO on the left and a animation showing different views of the sun on the right.

Solar Dynamics Observatory: Discovering the secrets of the sun's magnetic field

By Keith Cooper last updated

Reference Learn how the sun's secrets have been gradually revealed by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Reference
close up view of the sun shows a large bright eruption at the edge of the sun.

It's back! Aurora-sparking sunspot returns for rare 3rd trip across the sun, firing off explosive solar flare (video)

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

The sunspot region responsible for May's epic solar storm and widespread auroras is returning for the third time.

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Image of the sun with a bar magnet graphic rotating in front of it

The sun's magnetic field is about to flip. Here's what to expect.

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

As we approach solar maximum, something strange is happening to the sun's magnetic field. We explore this flip in polarity in more detail and look at the effects it could have on Earth.

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a fuzzy dark yellow and brownish orb in a black abyss.

India's Aditya-L1 solar probe snaps shots of our hyperactive sun during May outburst (photos)

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

India's Aditya-L1 spacecraft imaged the sun a week after it unleashed the rare G5 geomagnetic storm that sparked some of the strongest auroras in centuries.

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