‘Solar Max’ – mysteries of the Sun to be revealed

Published On Thu 28 Aug 2014 by Grant Hill

Sky at Night presenter Lucie Green will next week visit the University of Dundee to reveal some of the mysteries of the Sun, such as what solar flares and sunquakes are, and what they mean for us.

The esteemed space scientist will deliver a talk, entitled ‘Solar Max’, at the D’Arcy Thompson Lecture Theatre from 6.30pm on Monday, 1st September. The event takes place as part of the Institute of Physics’ Scotland Regional Lecture Series.

Organiser Dr David McGloin, Associate Dean of the University’s Division of Electronic Engineering and Physics, said, “There is more to our Sun than meets the eye. Observations from spacecraft have, over the last 50 years, revealed astonishing activity that cannot be seen from the Earth.

“Lucie Green’s talk will discuss where we are in the solar cycle and whether the Sun has indeed reached the maximum in its cycle. It will also show you the science behind the activity including how eruptions of magnetic field from the Sun’s atmosphere are formed and how these eruptions can be linked to other activity known as solar flares and even sunquakes.”

Lucie Green is a Royal Society University Research Fellow based at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory of UCL’s Department of Space and Climate Physics. She studies activity in the atmosphere of our nearest star, in particular looking at immense magnetic fields in the Sun’s atmosphere which sporadically erupt into the Solar System.

If these eruptions reach the Earth they can drive major space weather events. Lucie Green is interested in how the magnetic configuration of the eruptions relates to geomagnetic activity and what this means for those living in the UK.

She recently became Chief Stargazer at the Society for Popular Astronomy and is an award-winning science writer and broadcaster.

‘Solar Max’ takes place at the D’Arcy Thompson Lecture Theatre, Tower Building, from 6.30pm on Monday, 1st September. Entry is free and open to all.

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Grant Hill
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University of Dundee
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