What Does the Sun Burn? | Life's Little Mysteries For millennia, people have looked up to the sky and wondered about celestial bodies. The sparkling stars and fiery sun hold mystery and wonder. To astronomers, the sun is just another dying star, but to everyone else it’s a huge burning ball that gives heat, light, and life. So far so good. But what is it burning? We all know that there is no air in space, and therefore no oxygen to burn. The sun burns hydrogen — a lot of it, several hundred million tons per second. SDO - Solar Dynamics Observatory SDO | Data 4096 2048 1024 512 4096 PFSS 2048 PFSS 1024 PFSS 512 PFSS 48 hr MP4 4096 2048 1024 512 4096 PFSS 2048 PFSS 1024 PFSS 512 PFSS 48 hr MP4 4096 2048 1024 512 4096 PFSS 2048 PFSS 1024 PFSS 512 PFSS 48 hr MP4 4096 2048 1024 512 4096 PFSS 2048 PFSS 1024 PFSS 512 PFSS 48 hr MP4 4096 2048 1024 512 4096 PFSS 2048 PFSS 1024 PFSS 512 PFSS 48 hr MP4 4096 2048 1024 512 4096 PFSS 2048 PFSS 1024 PFSS 512 PFSS 48 hr MP4 4096 2048 1024 512 4096 PFSS 2048 PFSS 1024 PFSS 512 PFSS 48 hr MP4 4096 2048 1024 512 4096 PFSS 2048 PFSS 1024 PFSS 512 PFSS 48 hr MP4 4096 2048 1024 512 4096 PFSS 2048 PFSS 1024 PFSS 512 PFSS 48 hr MP4 HMI Magnetogram 4096 2048 1024 512 4096 PFSS 2048 PFSS 1024 PFSS 512 PFSS 48 hr MPEG HMI Colorized Magnetogram 4096 2048 1024 512 48 hr MPEG HMI Intensitygram - colored 4096 2048 1024 512 48 hr MPEG HMI Intensitygram - Flattened 4096 2048 1024 512 48 hr MPEG HMI Intensitygram 4096 2048 1024 512 48 hr MPEG HMI Dopplergram Soft X-ray Latest SAM Rotation movie EVE Diodes 3-day plot
Today's Space Weather The Satellite Environment Plot combines satellite and ground-based data to provide an overview of the current geosynchronous satellite environment. Click on a data panel to open an updating secondary window. An updating Satellite Environment Plot window is also available. Although these data are of interest to the satellite community, they do not include all parameters and energy ranges known to be associated with satellite anomalies. Development of scientific observation Solar observatory A solar observatory is an observatory that specializes in monitoring the Sun. As such, they usually have one or more solar telescopes. The Einstein Tower was a solar observatory in the Albert Einstein Science Park in Potsdam, Germany. Solar observatories study phenomena associated with the Sun. The Sun, being the closest star to earth, allows a unique chance to study stellar physics with high-resolution. Some examples[edit] See also[edit] References[edit] External links[edit] Lawrence, Pete. Media related to Solar_observatories at Wikimedia Commons