Background on Solar Patrol
The Sun:
The Sun, our closest star, plays a vital role in sustaining life on Earth. Life, weather, climate, and seasons are all under the control of the Sun's radiation. Storms, flares, and coronal mass ejections (CME) can affect today's space and communications technologies. By studying the Sun, we gain insight into the evolution of stars and galaxies. The Sun provides a laboratory for us to study radio astronomy data, such as GAVRT maps, monitor activity on the Sun, and complement missions such as The Parker Solar Probe.
Our knowledge of the Sun has advanced over time, and observations using modern technology have enabled us to explore the Sun's magnetic fields, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections (CMS) in greater detail. Scientists have discovered various complexities within solar activity.
Understanding the Sun with GAVRT:
GAVRT Solar Patrol engages students in observations of the Sun, which contribute to monitoring solar activity. Solar maps help to improve our understanding of how the Sun generates space weather and impacts Earth.
What We Search For:
- Active Regions: Areas with stronger magnetic fields often produce sunspots and are associated with solar flares and CMEs. These regions are of interest due to their potential interference with technological systems on Earth; solar storms can damage communication systems, and Solar Flares can cause radio blackouts, interrupting HF communication systems.
- Space Weather: GAVRT data, in connection with other databases, broadens understanding of interactivity by studying how solar activity affects Earth's atmosphere and technology.
The importance of understanding active regions on the Sun:
The importance of understanding active regions on the Sun:![]()
Understanding Active Regions
Active regions are areas with strong magnetic fields– as high as 1,000 or more times the average solar magnetic field strength– on the surface of the Sun. They often produce sunspots or regions of plasma that appear darker than the surrounding photosphere due to their significantly cooler temperatures. Active regions and their associated sunspots appear and disappear on the Sun's surface over a timescale of days to a few months. While active regions look small in pictures of the solar surface, they can actually be many tens of thousands of kilometers across. Active regions occur more frequently during the peak of the solar cycle when the Sun is most magnetically active
Our Interest in Active Regions
Active regions are associated with explosive magnetic events, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The strong magnetic fields around an active region often lead to the release of large amounts of energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation—especially X-ray and UV radiation—as well as particle radiation, including electrons, protons, and other high-energy solar energetic particles (SEPs). Solar storms provide important insight into the connection between magnetic fields and the Sun’s outer layers, but they can also affect our daily lives on Earth. High-energy radiation and particles can negatively impact satellites and the health of astronauts in space, disrupt radio communications on Earth, and even disrupt or significantly damage power grids. In 2003, a group of active regions produced a series of eruptions, including the most powerful solar flare ever observed and multiple CMEs, in what are now referred to as the “Halloween Storms of 2003.”
How Active Regions Form
Active regions on the sun form when magnetic field loops emerge from the solar interior, out through the photosphere, and into the outer layers of the Sun. The magnetic loops often appear in pairs, with one loop “footprint” corresponding to north polarity and the other to south polarity; active regions are composed of large quantities of these loop pairs. The formation, evolution, and, eventually, the disappearance of active regions reflect the complex structure of the solar magnetic field and the influence of convective motions, differential rotation, and magnetic reconnection in the Sun.
Milestones in Solar Discovery:
- Galileo's Discovery of Sunspots (1610): Telescope observations displayed dark spots on the surface of the Sun, the first detection of sunspots.
- Solar Flare Detection (1859): The first solar flare was observed and recorded by Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson, highlighting the Sun's intense variations.
- Parker Solar Probe (2018): The launch of this mission focuses on studying the Sun’s outer corona and solar wind by orbiting close-up and providing insights and data on the effects on life and technology on Earth.