‘The Sun and Life on Other Planets’

The Sun is an essential and fascinating source of energy, partly driven by intense magnetic fields whose origin is not well understood. Nevertheless, being able to predict solar activity is of major importance for our technological society. Indeed there are indications that solar activity, as represented by the 11-year sunspot cycle, is somehow affecting the Earth’s climate, perhaps in a significant way. The Hinode (“sunrise”) space mission of the Japanese, U.S., British and European space agencies (JAXA, NASA, UK and ESA) has been observing magnetic fields on the surface of the Sun with unprecedented resolution and sensitivity. The spectacular movies taken with Hinode, which will feature in the lecture, have revealed waves, ubiquitous jets, new kinds of magnetic fields, strong magnetic fields in the obscured solar polar regions, and enigmatic fine-scale flows, among other remarkable discoveries.