A study of quiescent prominences using SDO and STEREO data


Book Description

In this dissertation, the structure, dynamics and evolution of two quiescent prominences were studied. Quiescent prominences are large structures and mainly associated with the quiet Sun region. For the analysis, the high spatial and temporal cadence data from the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO), and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) were used. The observations from two different directions were combined and the prominence in 3D were studied. In the study of polar crown prominence, the prominence flows on limb were mainly investigated and its association with on-disk brightenings were found. The merging of diffused active region flux in the already formed chain of prominence caused the several brightenings in the filament channel and also injected the plasma upward with an average velocity of 15 km/s. In another study, the triggering mechanism of a quiescent tornado-like prominence was investigated. Flares from the neighboring active region triggered the tornado-like motions on the top of the prominence. Active region field contracts after the flare which results in the expansion of prominence cavity. The prominence helical magnetic field expands and plasma moves along the field lines which appear as a tornado-like activity. These observational investigations led to the understanding of structure and dynamics of quiescent prominences, which could be useful for theoretical prominence models.







Patrick Moore's Data Book of Astronomy


Book Description

Packed with up-to-date astronomical data about the Solar System, our Galaxy and the wider Universe, this is a one-stop reference for astronomers of all levels. It gives the names, positions, sizes and other key facts of all the planets and their satellites; discusses the Sun in depth, from sunspots to solar eclipses; lists the dates for cometary returns, close-approach asteroids, and significant meteor showers; and includes 88 star charts, with the names, positions, magnitudes and spectra of the stars, along with key data on nebulae and clusters. Full of facts and figures, this is the only book you need to look up data about astronomy. It is destined to become the standard reference for everyone interested in astronomy.




Coronal Magnetometry


Book Description

Magnetism defines the complex and dynamic solar corona. It determines the magnetic loop structure that dominates images of the corona, and stores the energy necessary to drive coronal eruptive phenomena and flare explosions. At great heights the corona transitions into the ever-outflowing solar wind, whose speed and three-dimensional morphology are controlled by the global coronal magnetic field. Coronal magnetism is thus at the heart of any understanding of the nature of the corona, and essential for predictive capability of how the Sun affects the Earth. Coronal magnetometry is a subject that requires a concerted effort to draw together the different strands of research happening around the world. Each method provides some information about the field, but none of them can be used to determine the full 3D field structure in the full volume of the corona. Thus, we need to combine them to understand the full picture. The purpose of this Frontiers Research Topic on Coronal Magnetometry is to provide a forum for comparing and coordinating these research methods, and for discussing future opportunities.




The Solar Dynamics Observatory


Book Description

This volume is dedicated to the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which was launched 11 February 2010. The articles focus on the spacecraft and its instruments: the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE), and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). Articles within also describe calibration results and data processing pipelines that are critical to understanding the data and products, concluding with a description of the successful Education and Public Outreach activities. This book is geared towards anyone interested in using the unprecedented data from SDO, whether for fundamental heliophysics research, space weather modeling and forecasting, or educational purposes. Previously published in Solar Physics journal, Vol. 275/1-2, 2012. Selected articles in this book are published open access under a CC BY-NC 2.5 license at link.springer.com. For further details, please see the license information in the chapters.




Multi-Wavelength Investigations of Solar Activity (IAU S223)


Book Description

These Proceedings present the most recent results from the highly successful international solar space missions (SOHO, CORONAS-F, TRACE, RHESSI, YOHKOH) and ground observatories around the Earth, reported at the IAU Symposium 223 held in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 14-19, 2004. These include discussions of the current theories of solar dynamics and activity, new constraints provided by the multi-wavelength observations of the Sun from the interior to the heliosphere, as well as discussions of future coordinated plans and efforts of multi-wavelength investigations of the Sun. The Proceedings contain the material of seven plenary sessions and three round-table discussions




The Sun, the Earth, and Near-earth Space


Book Description

" ... Concise explanations and descriptions - easily read and readily understood - of what we know of the chain of events and processes that connect the Sun to the Earth, with special emphasis on space weather and Sun-Climate."--Dear Reader.







The Many Faces of the Sun


Book Description

A decade of observations of the Sun with NASAs Solar Maximum Mission satellite has led to important discoveries in solar and atomic physics. This book presents the first comprehensive review of these results in a single volume, providing a snapshot of the current state of knowledge of solar physics. Chapters provide insight into the structure, composition and activity of the Sun, with coverage of topics such as solar flares, variations in the solar irradiance, coronal mass ejections, and spectroscopy.




New Millennium Solar Physics


Book Description

This is a follow-on book to the introductory textbook "Physics of the Solar Corona" previously published in 2004 by the same author, which provided a systematic introduction and covered mostly scientific results from the pre-2000 era. Using a similar structure as the previous book the second volume provides a seamless continuation of numerous novel research results in solar physics that emerged in the new millennium (after 2000) from the new solar missions of RHESSI, STEREO, Hinode, CORONAS, and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) during the era of 2000-2018. The new solar space missions are characterized by unprecedented high-resolution imaging, time resolution, spectral capabilities, stereoscopy and tomography, which reveal the intricate dynamics of magneto-hydrodynamic processes in the solar corona down to scales of 100 km. The enormous amount of data streaming down from SDO in Terabytes per day requires advanced automated data processing methods. The book focuses exclusively on new research results after 2000, which are reviewed in a comprehensive manner, documented by over 3600 literature references, covering theory, observations, and numerical modeling of basic physical processes that are observed in high-temperature plasmas of the Sun and other astrophysical objects, such as plasma instabilities, coronal heating, magnetic reconnection processes, coronal mass ejections, plasma waves and oscillations, or particle acceleration.