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A silver and gold trumpet like spacecraft directed at the edge of a glowing orange sphere

NASA's Parker Solar Probe finds fresh clues to decades-old mystery surrounding the sun

By Sharmila Kuthunur last updated

In its search for answers to why our sun's corona is hotter than its surface, NASA's Parker Solar Probe has ruled out one explanation.

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A close up view of the sun showing a swirling orange surface and a bright yellow prominence at the top of the image.

3 sun mysteries we still haven't cracked

By Ryan French published

Our understanding of the sun has come a long way in recent decades, but there are still multiple outstanding mysteries that current and future missions hope to solve.

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two side-by-side closeup photos of bright solar flares erupting from the sun

The sun fires off 2 powerful X flares in less than 2 hours (video, photo)

By Meredith Garofalo published

Add another pair of strong solar flares to the sun's list this year, as two X-class flares erupted on Monday morning (Aug. 5).

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a black orb with a crown-like pattern of orange lines emanating from it in a circle

Magnetic fields on the sun could solve longstanding solar heating mystery

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

A new study reveals waves of magnetism within the sun could help explain why the sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, is hundreds of times hotter than its surface.

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a drawing of tycho brahe with a fur coat and feathered hat, on left. on right is a diagram of the sky showing lines of latitude and longitude and various objects labeled, like the planet jupiter and the star arcturus

Renaissance astronomer Tycho Brahe's lab is home to a centuries-old chemical mystery

By Elizabeth Howell published

A chemical mystery lurks in the laboratory of Tycho Brahe, one of the most famous astronomers of all time. Scientists found tungsten in Brahe's lab, and they're not sure how it got there.

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two circles side by side showing drawings of sunspots. below is latin text in italics

These 17th-century drawings of the sun by Kepler add fire to solar cycle mystery

By Elizabeth Howell published

Earth was cooler than usual in the 16th and 17th centuries and scientists are still trying to figure out why. New analysis of sunspot drawings by Kepler, in 1607, may shed some light.

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a bright white flare erupts from the fiery surface of the sun

Watch a colossal X-class solar flare erupt from Earth-facing sunspot (video)

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

An X-flare erupted from the sun at 10:33 p.m. EDT on July 28 (0233 GMT July 29). Watch the action unfold here.

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bright white tendrils of light explode outwards from a solid black circle on a red background

Sun blasts out most powerful flare of current solar cycle, sends massive coronal mass ejection into space (video)

By Meredith Garofalo published

A solar flare on July 23 was even bigger than a previous one that triggered May's global aurora storm, but this one was facing away from Earth on the far side of the sun.

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An orange sun sets behind a wall of clouds as several american flags wave in the foreground.

These 2 US cities are the most vulnerable to solar storms, scientists say

By Stefanie Waldek published

Geomagnetic storm-induced blackouts may be looming.

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ribbons of light shine down from clouds almost like a curtain of light colored pink purple and green.

Aurora alert: Possible geomagnetic storm could bring northern lights as far south as New York

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Northern lights could be visible over some northern and upper Midwest states on July 24. A geomagnetic storm watch has been issued by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.

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