The Solar Physics Group at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center was formed in the early 1970's in conjunction with the Apollo Skylab Mission. These pages contain an overview of solar physics itself along with highlights of our own work, our current projects, and possible future missions.

Sun Facts

Solar radius = 695,990 km = 432,470 mi = 109 Earth radii

Solar mass = 1.989 10³⁰ kg = 4.376 10³⁰ lb = 333,000 Earth masses

Solar luminosity (energy output of the Sun) = 3.846 10³³ erg/s

Surface temperature = 5770 K = 9,930° F

Surface density = 2.07 10^-7 g/cm³ = 1.6 10^-4 Air density

Surface composition = 70% H, 28% He, 2% (C, N, O, ...) by mass

Central temperature = 15,600,000 K = 28,000,000° F

Central density = 150 g/cm³ = 8 x Gold density

Central composition = 35% H, 63% He, 2% (C, N, O, ...) by mass

Solar age = 4.57 10⁹ yr  

New/Updated Pages

The Sunspot Cycle - Updated 2012/01/03

Sunspot Cycle Predictions - Updated 2012/01/03

RGO/USAF/NOAA Sunspot Database - Updated 2012/01/03

Presentations -  Updated 2011/12/27 (The Solar Dynamo Saga: Chapter 12)

The Solar Interior - Updated 2011/04/04

The Solar Dynamo - Updated 2011/04/04

Papers -  Updated 2011/03/14 (Wilson 2011a)

Papers -  Updated 2011/03/01 (Hathaway and Rightmire 2011)

Papers -  Updated 2011/02/03 (Hathaway et al. 2010)

Papers -  Updated 2011/02/03 (Falconer et al. 2011)

Papers -  Updated 2011/01/20 (Moore et al. 2011)

Papers -  Updated 2010/07/06 (Wilson 2010b)

Papers -  Updated 2010/07/06 (Moore and LaBonte 1980)

Papers -  Updated 2010/07/06 (Moore and Roumeliotis 1992)

Papers -  Updated 2010/03/29 (Hathaway and Rightmire 2010)

Papers -  Updated 2010/03/16 (Hathaway 2010b)

Papers -  Updated 2010/03/16 (Wilson 2010a)

Papers -  Updated 2010/03/02 (Hathaway 2010a)

Papers -  Updated 2009/06/05 (Falconer et al. 2009)

Papers -  Updated 2009/06/05 (Falconer, Moore, and Gary 2008)

Papers -  Updated 2009/06/05 (Falconer, Moore, and Gary 2006)

Papers -  Updated 2009/06/05 (Falconer, Moore, and Gary 2002)

Papers -  Updated 2009/04/10 (Gary 2009)

Papers -  Updated 2009/03/04 (Wilson and Hathaway 2009a)

Presentations -  Updated 2009/02/10 (Stellar Activity Cycles)

Presentations -  Updated 2009/02/10 (Predicting the Sunspot Cycle)

Recent Solar Physics News Stories

2010/09/30 A Place in the Sun: Solar Probe Instrument Win
2010/06/04 As the Sun Awakens, NASA Keeps a Wary Eye on Space Weather
2010/03/12 Solar 'Current of Fire' Speeds Up
2009/06/17 Mystery of the Missing Sunspots, Solved?
2009/06/03 Fake Astronaut Gets Hit by Artificial Solar Flare
2009/05/29 New Solar Cycle Prediction
2009/04/14 The Surprising Shape of Solar Storms
2009/04/01 Deep Solar Minimum
2009/01/23 NASA Sees the 'Dark Side' of the Sun
2009/01/21 Severe Space Weather
2008/12/15 Solar Flare Surprise
2008/11/07 Solar Cycle Update: The Sun Shows Signs of Life
2008/10/02 How Round is the Sun?
2008/09/30 Spotless Sun: Blankest Year of the Space Age
2008/09/23 Solar Wind Loses Power, Hits 50-year Low
2008/09/17 Polar Crown Prominences
2008/09/05 NASA to Explore "Secret Layer" of the Sun
2008/08/19 Living with a Star
2008/07/29 Partial Eclipse, Total Fun
2008/07/11 What's Wrong with the Sun? (Nothing)
2008/06/10 NASA Plans to Visit the Sun