CU Boulder Dept. of Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences

THE STORM IS OVER, BUT... This weekend's extreme geomagnetic storm is over, but there might be a last gasp. NOAA forecasters are predicting a return to severe (G4) conditions on May 12th when one or more CMEs might hit Earth's magnetic field. The CME from yesterday's X5.8-class flare is exciting - a potent storm cloud that could spark renewed auroras if its internal magnetic field is oriented correctly. The only way to know for sure is to go out and see for yourself! Spaceweather.com will update.

LASP at the University of Colorado Boulder is proud to welcome planetary scientist Shannon Curry, PI of NASA's MAVEN Mission to Mars, which studies the Red Planet's upper atmosphere, ionosphere & interactions with the Sun & solar wind. Curry will also hold a faculty position in the CU Boulder Dept. of Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences. https://bit.ly/46cdOxv

"The images are as focused as the laws of physics allow"
- Marshall Perrin, STScI

Are coronal loops real?

A solar illusion: Coronal loops may not be what they seem: New study challenges long-held assumptions about the structure of the sun's atmosphere Many coronal loops -- ropey strands of plasma that scientists have long thought existed in the sun's atmosphere -- may actually be optical illusions, according to a new paper that challenges prevailing assumptions of what we know, and don't know, about the sun.

The assembly effort is already underway in clean rooms at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

NASA Begins Assembly of Europa Clipper Spacecraft Science instruments and other hardware for the spacecraft will come together in the mission’s final phase before a launch to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa in 2024.

Have you ever wondered what the atmosphere of an exo-gas giant looks like? These researchers did. The answer, apparently, is 11000 mph winds and rain made of metal.

A “hot Jupiter’s” dark side is revealed in detail for first time MIT astronomers have obtained the clearest view yet of the perpetual dark side of an exoplanet that is “tidally locked” to its star. The planet is WASP-121b, a massive gas giant nearly twice the size of Jupiter.

Remember that feeling the 1st time you learned that prisms turn sunbeams into rainbows? It gets so much more mind-blowing when you realize we can use that same method to search for life on other worlds.

How we use starlight to look for alien life The process of spectroscopy can help scientists hunt for biosignatures.

Enormous magnetic field + rapid spinning = a giant particle accelerator.

NASA Telescope Spots Highest-Energy Light Ever Detected From Jupiter The planet’s auroras are known to produce low-energy X-ray light. A new study finally reveals higher-frequency X-rays and explains why they eluded another mission 30 years ago.

Still a long way from first image because they have to align the mirrors. But promising nonetheless.

NASA confirms the Webb Telescope has successfully detected its first photons The James Webb Space Telescope has captured its first photons — the genesis of its scientific mission to image the universe in new ways.

Congratulations to APS' own Professor Kowalski!

Dr. Adam Kowalski Awarded the 2022 Karen Harvey Prize - NSO - National Solar Observatory NSO scientist Dr. Adam Kowalski received the 2022 Karen Harvey Prize in recognition of his early career research in solar and stellar physics.