The Sun’s Activity: Understanding its Impact and Origins

Abstract:

The Sun’s activity varies. This variability modulates the electromagnetic, particulate and radiative environment in space creating space weather – which impacts space- and Earth-based technologies. At the heart of solar variability is the role of magnetic fields, most strikingly manifest in the 11-year cycle of (strongly magnetized) sunspots that has been systematically observed since the times of Galileo Galilei. In this talk I will describe the causal connections shared between the Sun and planets such as the Earth and its implications for other star-planet systems. Drawing upon our own, as well as independent research, I will also describe the world-wide quest to understand the underlying physics of solar cycle predictability.