Solar physics

For the physics journal, see Solar Physics (journal)

Solar physics is the study of our Sun. It is a branch of astrophysics that specializes in exploiting and explaining the detailed measurements that are possible only for our closest star. It intersects with many disciplines of pure physics, astrophysics, and computer science, including fluid dynamics, plasma physics including magnetohydrodynamics, seismology, particle physics, atomic physics, nuclear physics, stellar evolution, space physics, spectroscopy, radiative transfer, applied optics, signal processing, computer vision, and computational physics.

Because the Sun is uniquely situated for close-range observing (other stars cannot be resolved with anything like the spatial or temporal resolution that the Sun can), there is a split between the related discipline of observational astrophysics (of distant stars) and observational solar physics. The Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society boasts about 600 members (in 2008), compared to several thousand in the parent organization.

A major thrust of current (2009) effort in the field of solar physics is integrated understanding of the entire solar system including the Sun and its effects throughout interplanetary space within the heliosphere and on planets and planetary atmospheres. Studies of phenomena that affect multiple systems in the heliosphere, or that are considered to fit within a heliospheric context, are called heliophysics, a new coinage that entered usage in the early years of the current millennium.

See also

• Helioseismography
• Institute for Solar Physics (in La Palma in the Canary Islands)

Further reading

• Mullan, Dermott J. (2009). Physics of the Sun: A First Course. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-4200-8307-1. 
• Zirin, Harold (1988). Astrophysics of the Sun. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-30268-4. 

External links

• Living Reviews in Solar Physics
• NASA Solar Physics Page
• SUPARCO Solar physics Page

The Sun   Internal structure Core Radiation zone Tachocline Convection zone   Atmosphere Photosphere Supergranulation Granule Faculae Sunspot   Chromosphere Plage Spicule Moreton wave   Corona Transition region Coronal hole Coronal loop Coronal mass ejection Prominence Helmet streamer   Variation Solar cycle List of solar cycles Solar maximum Solar minimum Wolf number Solar wind Flare Helioseismology   Heliosphere Current sheet Termination shock Heliosheath Heliopause Bow shock   Related topics Solar System Solar dynamo Solar telescope Eclipse Radiation Solar energy   Spectral class: G2