The sun is now entering the “solar maximum,” the time during its 11-year solar cycle when it’s most active, producing sunspots and solar flares. There are also two solar eclipses coming up over a six-month period. Not coincidentally, we’re also now beginning the Heliophysics Big Year, when solar science researchers are most active, and there are a variety of citizen science opportunities to bring the public along for the ride.
Links mentioned in this podcast include:
Short Film To Scale: The Solar System
SciStarter NASA Page
SciStarter Eclipse Page
NASA Heliophysics Big Year
Citizen CATE
 
Eclipse Soundscapes Data Collector
Eclipse Soundscapes Observer
NASA Heliophysics Big Year Zines
NASA Eclipse Map
Media Credits:
All video simulations Credit: NASA
Orrery with wood base, via Flickr Creative Commons, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) Image Credit Karen_O’D
Brass Orrery, via Flickr Creative Commons, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) Image Credit: Raneko
Solar System graphic (planets at an angle), via Flickr Creative Commons, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) Image Credit: NASA
Eclipse and Mountains, via Flickr Creative Commons, Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0) Credit: NASA/ Bill Ingalls
Apollo on the Clouds Artwork (1688-1698), via Flickr Creative Commons, Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0) Artist: Johan Teyler (original from The Rijksmuseum); Digitally enhanced by rawpixel
Photo of Apollo golden relief via Flickr Creative Commons, Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0); Photo Credit: Chris Waits
Solar System, side view, via Flickr Creative Commons, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0; Image Credit: This is Yu
Music Credit:
Podcast Theme, by Keith Hartnell

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