Episode 11: The Active Sun
25 Aug 2011, 23:08 UTC
This summer, several monster outbursts have erupted from the Sun. They released clouds of plasma that occupy a volume of space hundreds of times bigger than Earth. These blasts -- called coronal mass ejections -- emanate from active sunspot regions. If Earth were in their path, these huge eruptions could have had devastating effects on our power and communications systems, and on our satellites. Our planet dodged the danger, but the outbursts are a reminder we live with a variable star that can get pretty active from time to time. We are now headed into a time of increased solar activity. Scientists now have more capability to study and monitor activity on the Sun, including satellites such as STEREO and the Solar Dynamics Observatory. These space-based solar observatories are helping to revolutionize our understanding of our nearest star, and hopefully anticipate and mitigate the influence it has on our planet -- and our technology. With guest Dr. Phillip J. Erickson, MIT Haystack Observatory.
