As the star at the center of our solar system, the Sun makes life on Earth possible. But not all of its effects on our lives are beneficial: the Sun sporadically disrupts our weather patterns and interrupts our communication and navigation systems. It generates radiation that may harm astronauts and airline passengers. It can even push power grids to failure. All of these and other phenomena, including the many spectacular solar events shown in the following photographs, are controlled by the Sun's variable magnetic field.
On Earth, there is a magnetic field that remains relatively stable over time. Explorers, surveyors, pilots and ship captains use this field to orient their compasses and to find their way around the globe. Even animals, like some migratory birds, can use the Earth's magnetic field to navigate with their own internal compasses. But on the Sun, the magnetic field is much more erratic; there are many magnetic poles whose positions and strengths constantly change. Indeed, a compass on the Sun would merely point to the pole closest and strongest at that moment.
As troublesome as it is for us, the Sun's magnetic field is also useful, as it makes direct observations of the Sun possible. All elements caught in the Sun's magnetic field emit extreme ultraviolet light, invisible and exceptionally dangerous. Orbiting telescopes can detect such light and represent it as safe, visible, recognizable colors. More than simply beautiful, these photographs from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) allow astronomers to study in further detail the Sun's magnetic field.
As troublesome as it is for us, the Sun's magnetic field is also useful, as it makes direct observations of the Sun possible. All elements caught in the Sun's magnetic field emit extreme ultraviolet light, invisible and exceptionally dangerous. Orbiting telescopes can detect such light and represent it as safe, visible, recognizable colors. More than simply beautiful, these photographs from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) allow astronomers to study in further detail the Sun's magnetic field.
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