Our Violent Sun

Without warning, the relatively calm solar atmosphere can be torn asunder by brief and catastrophic outbursts of incredible energy, called solar flares, which occur in active regions, the magnetized atmosphere in and around sunspots. They are sudden and b

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G. Börner, Garching, Germany A. Burkert, München, Germany W. B. Burton, Charlottesville, VA, USA and Leiden, The Netherlands M. A. Dopita, Canberra, Australia A. Eckart, Köln, Germany T. Encrenaz, Meudon, France E. K. Grebel, Heidelberg, Germany B. Leibundgut, Garching, Germany J. Lequeux, Paris, France A. Maeder, Sauverny, Switzerland V. Trimble, College Park, MD, and Irvine, CA, USA

Kenneth R. Lang

The Sun from Space

Second Edition

123

Kenneth R. Lang Department of Physics and Astronomy Tufts University Medford MA 02155 USA [email protected]

Cover image: Solar cycle magnetic variations. These magnetograms portray the polarity and distribution of the magnetism in the solar photosphere. They were made with the Vacuum Tower Telescope of the National Solar Observatory at Kitt Peak from 8 January 1992, at a maximum in the sunspot cycle (lower left) to 25 July 1999, well into the next maximum (lower right). Each magnetogram shows opposite polarities as darker and brighter than average tint. When the Sun is most active, the number of sunspots is at a maximum, with large bipolar sunspots that are oriented in the east–west (left–right) direction within two parallel bands. At times of low activity (top middle), there are no large sunspots and tiny magnetic fields of different magnetic polarity can be observed all over the photosphere. The haze around the images is the inner solar corona. (Courtesy of Carolus J. Schrijver, NSO, NOAO and NSF.)

ISBN: 978-3-540-76952-1

e-ISBN: 978-3-540-76953-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2008933407 c Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009  This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Violations are liable to prosecution under the German Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Cover design: eStudio Calamar S.L. Printed on acid-free paper 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 springer.com

This book is dedicated to everyone who is curious, imaginative, and intelligent, thereby strengthening the human spirit.

Preface to the Second Edition

The First Edition of The Sun from Space, completed in 1999, focused on the early accomplishments of three solar spacecraft, SOHO, Ulysses, and Yohkoh, primarily during a minimum in the Sun’s 11-year cycle of magnetic activity. The comprehensive Second Edition includes the main findings of these three spacecraft over an entire activity cycle, including two m