Solar Flares

Published:
June 13, 2012

With recent coverage by MSNBC and the Huffington Post, sun storms are making a scene. According to the Huffington Post, a strong sun storm caused a solar flare on March 6, 2012, that was strong enough to cause earthly damage — with more such storms likely to come.

But what is a sun storm?

What damage can one do?

And what are scientists doing to study and predict these events?

Find the answers to these questions and more in “Sun Storm!” as Richard Fisher ’61, one of the world’s most foremost authorities on the study of the sun, explains. “Sun Storm!” is one of many interesting articles in the spring 2012 issue of The Grinnell Magazine.

For even more information about this fascinating subject, check out these videos on geomagnetic storms satellites that monitor the sun, and the secret lives of solar flares.

Aurora over town

ScienceCasts: Auroras Underfoot

"Lately, the International Space Station has been flying through geomagnetic storms, giving astronauts an close-up view of the aurora borealis just outside their windows."

Courtesy of: Science @ NASA

We use cookies to enable essential services and functionality on our site, enhance your user experience, provide better service through personalized content, collect data on how visitors interact with our site, and enable advertising services.

To accept the use of cookies and continue on to the site, click "I Agree." For more information about our use of cookies and how to opt out, please refer to our website privacy policy.