Space Weather Introduction

   What are scientists talking about when they say "space weather"? How is it like weather on Earth? How is it different? How does space weather affect me? Can astronomers forecast space weather, and if so, how? What are the unsolved mysteries in the field of space weather? Read on...

Sunspots don't look that big when you see them on the Sun (remember NEVER look directly at the Sun), but in fact they can be enormous! This composite image shows just how big sunspots can be, to scale with an image of Earth. Sunspots can be as big, or bigger, than Earth. The <a href="/sun/activity/sunspot_history.html&dev=">earliest written record of a sunspot observation</a> was made by Chinese astronomers around 800 B.C.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of NASA/Trace Mission</em></small></p>

Explore Space Weather Introduction

What is Space Weather?

Weather on Earth is the set of ever-changing ambient conditions in our atmosphere. Its elements ...Read more

Earth Weather vs. Space Weather

How is space weather similar to Earth weather? How are they different? Does space weather affect ...Read more

How Scientists Study Space Weather

Scientists combine various techniques to study space weather. Earth-based and orbiting telescopes ...Read more

How does Space Weather affect Earth and Human Society?

Although space weather forecasts are not normally featured on the evening news, space weather ...Read more

Space Weather Mysteries & Unanswered Questions

The study of space weather is a relatively young science. As such it has many unanswered questions ...Read more

Historical Events

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Did you know?

Did you know that the temperature in the Earth's core is hotter than the Sun’s surface?

Did you know that, in Egyptian mythology, the sky goddess Nut married the Earth god Geb, and that the Sun god Re was angry, and so forced them to separate?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Chinook
xChinook : A dry down-slope wind which occurs on the downwind side of a mountain range. It is a rain shadow wind which results from the subsequent (adiabatic) warming of air which has dropped most of its moisture on windward slopes.

Click on the word to find out!

Research Highlights

Caribbean Coral Reef Protection Efforts Miss the Mark

Conservation efforts aimed at protecting endangered Caribbean corals may be overlooking regions where corals are best equipped to evolve in response to global warming and other climate challenges. That's...Read more


Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA