44: Here Comes the Sun...with NASA's Head of Science
Aug 28, 2023
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Dr Nicola Fox, Head of Science at NASA, and Dr Daniel Mueller, Project Scientist for Solar Orbiter, join hosts Izzie and Dr Becky to discuss the latest efforts in studying the sun. They delve into the importance of understanding the sun's relationship with Earth, unraveling the mysteries of the solar cycle, and the potential impact of solar weather on technology and life on Earth. Dr Robert Massey answers questions about the structure of the sun and its composition.
Understanding the Sun's impact on Earth and its role in sustaining life through NASA's missions and research.
Studying the Solar Orbiter mission to observe the Sun's magnetic field, solar wind, and polar region, and its implications for understanding solar phenomena.
Recognizing the potential risks of solar weather on technology, civilization, and life on Earth, emphasizing the importance of monitoring and forecasting space weather.
Deep dives
The Sun: Exploring our Local Star
The podcast episode delves into the mysteries of our local star, the Sun. It discusses the structure of the Sun, highlighting its immense size and composition. The episode also explores the importance of studying the Sun, emphasizing its impact on our planet and its role in sustaining life. The podcast features interviews with experts from NASA, who share insights on the latest efforts to study the Sun, such as the Parker Solar Probe mission. The episode also mentions the recent achievement of India's lunar mission. It concludes by answering questions about sunspots, the interaction between the Sun's magnetic field and planetary magnetic fields, and the potential impacts of solar weather on technology and life on Earth.
Studying the Sun: Insights from NASA Scientists
The Head of Science at NASA, Dr. Nicola Fox, discusses the importance of studying the Sun and its impact on our planet. She highlights the active nature of the Sun, including solar storms and coronal material ejections, and the need to understand and predict their potential impacts on Earth. Dr. Fox also shares insights into NASA's missions, including the Parker Solar Probe, and highlights the significance of studying the Sun to gain a better understanding of stellar systems and search for exoplanets. She emphasizes the role of the Sun as the only star known to support life, and how studying it can provide insights into the conditions required for life on other planets.
Solar Orbiter: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Sun
Dr. Daniel Muller, the project scientist for the Solar Orbiter mission, discusses the mission's objectives and findings. The Solar Orbiter aims to observe the Sun from a distance and study its magnetic field, solar wind, and polar regions. Dr. Muller highlights the discovery of small-scale energetic bursts in the Sun's corona and the implications for understanding the heating mechanisms of the solar atmosphere. The episode also mentions the potential risks of solar weather on technology, including power grid failures and satellite damage. It concludes with a discussion on the origin of the Sun's water and the importance of studying the solar cycle and its impacts on Earth.
Impact of Solar Weather on Earth and Life
The podcast episode explores the potential impacts of solar weather on technology, civilization, and life on Earth. It highlights historical solar events and their consequences, such as the Carrington event in 1859, which caused telegraph system failures and widespread Auroras. The discussion emphasizes the vulnerability of electrical grids, communication systems, and satellites to solar flares and coronal mass ejections. The episode also mentions the potential effects of solar weather on migrating animals and the importance of monitoring the Sun for space weather forecasting. It concludes with a reminder of the financial damage that could result from a major solar storm on modern society.
Sunspots: Mysterious Dark Areas on the Sun's Surface
Sunspots are explained as concentrated magnetic fields on the Sun's surface that appear darker due to their lower temperature. The episode mentions the historical discovery of sunspots and their observations by ancient astronomers and presents recent research on their structure and behavior. It emphasizes their role as indicators of solar activity and their connection to the Sun's magnetic field. The episode also touches on the interaction between the Sun's magnetic field and planetary magnetic fields, highlighting the shaping of planetary magnetospheres by the Sun's extended magnetic field. The discussion concludes by addressing the important question of why the Sun has sunspots and the potential insights they provide into solar dynamics.
This month, Izzie and Dr Becky are off to the Sun…Partly because the UK summer has been rubbish but mostly because there are a lot of things we still don’t know about our local star.
Joining them on their voyage is the Head of Science at NASA, Dr Nicola Fox, to explain the latest efforts to study the sun, the Project Scientist for Solar Orbiter, Dr Daniel Mueller, and Dr Robert Massey is on hand to answer your questions.
