International SUNday<\/a><\/strong> on Sunday, June 24, noon\u20133:30 p.m. Safely view the Sun through a\u00a0solar telescope, hear about unusual space weather and\u00a0current solar research, and more. International SUNday is held annually on the Sunday nearest to the summer solstice, which is the day with the most hours of sunlight during the entire year, marking the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The event is free.<\/p>\nVisitors can\u00a0safely\u00a0look at the Sun through the Museum\u2019s\u00a0special \u201cHydrogen-Alpha\u201d telescope\u00a0\u2014 which highlights fascinating surface features and solar storms \u2014\u00a0on the Rooftop Terrace of the Museum\u2019s Nature Research Center from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. (weather permitting).\u00a0Visitors can also attend the following talks in the Museum\u2019s SECU Daily Planet Theater:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Sun, Stars and Exoplanets\u201d (12:30 p.m.)<\/p>\n
In this presentation, Museum astronomer Rachel Smith will discuss the Sun \u2014 our home star \u2014 in the context of other stars in the Galaxy. Do stars play a role in the potential for life on the planets surrounding them? What factors are important in determining if a planetary system has a \u201chabitable zone\u201d? Smith will also discuss some of her current research observing forming stars across our Galaxy, and what the chemistry of these young stars can tell us about the formation of our solar system and exoplanets.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Sun:\u00a0Common\u00a0and\u00a0Uncommon\u00a0Events\u201d (1:00 p.m.)<\/p>\n
The Sun is our closest star\u00a0and\u00a0from a distance it seems unchanging. The Sun is not a calm object though. A close look at the surface gives it the impression of boiling soup.\u00a0We can see hot gas trapped in giant magnetic loops arching over its surface. We also see occasional, highly energetic eruptions blast from its surface.\u00a0The Sun interacts with the Earth in familiar ways, such as producing colorful auroras,\u00a0and\u00a0occasionally also produces dramatic far-reaching effects, such as the Quebec Blackout in 1989.\u00a0In this talk, Museum astronomer Patrick Treuthardt will highlight some of the\u00a0common\u00a0and\u00a0uncommon\u00a0events\u00a0produced by the Sun.<\/p>\n
While clouds may limit observation of the Sun, the presentations will happen rain or shine, and\u00a0the Museum\u2019s Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Lab will be open beginning at noon, with astronomers and students available to talk with visitors about the Sun and current solar scientific exploration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18742,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/30619"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/30619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"International](\"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/SUNday640x480.jpg\")
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