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 OverviewHeliophysics LeadershipHeliophysics Org ChartScience QuestionsFocus AreaFocus Area OverviewSolar ScienceMagnetospheresIonosphere, Thermosphere, MesosphereHeliosphereSpace WeatherRecent ResearchProgramsHeliophysics ResearchSolar Terrestrial ProbesExplorersLiving With a StarSounding RocketsWorking GroupsCitizen ScienceTechnology ProgramDataMissionsMission Fleet ChartResourcesResources Overview2024 Decadal SurveySupplemental Information2050 WorkshopStrategic Mission ProgramsElectromagnetic Spectrum SeriesExplore This SectionOverviewFocus AreaProgramsDataMissionsResourcesNASA HeliophysicsOverviewThe Science Mission Directorate Heliophysics Division studies the nature of the Sun, and how it influences the very nature of space – and, in turn, the atmospheres of planets and the technology that exists there. Space is not, as is often believed, completely empty; instead, we live in the extended atmosphere of an active star. Our Sun sends out a steady outpouring of particles and energy – the solar wind – as well as a constantly writhing magnetic system. This extensive, dynamic solar atmosphere surrounds the Sun, Earth, the planets, and extends far out into the solar system.Studying this system not only helps us understand fundamental information about how the universe works, but also helps protect our technology and astronauts in space. NASA seeks knowledge of near-Earth space, because – when extreme – space weather can interfere with our communications, satellites and power grids. The study of the Sun and space can also teach us more about how stars contribute to the habitability of planets throughout the universe.Mapping out this interconnected system requires a holistic study of the Sun’s influence on space, Earth, and other planets.  NASA has a fleet of spacecraft strategically placed throughout our heliosphere – from Parker Solar Probe at the Sun observing the very start of the solar wind, to satellites around Earth, to the farthest human-made object, Voyager, which is sending back observations on interstellar space. Each mission is positioned at a critical, well-thought out vantage point to observe and understand the flow of energy and particles throughout the solar system – all helping us untangle the effects of the star we live with.Chart showing the spacecraft in orbit that support the Heliophysics Division. The Sun is on the left and missions throughout the solar system are on the right.Chart showing the spacecraft in orbit that support the Heliophysics Division. *Updated January 24, 2024*NASASee the Mission FleetHeliophysics StoriesExplore All Heliophysics StoriesArticle2 min readVoyager 1 Returning Science Data From All Four InstrumentsAn artist’s concept of the Voyager spacecraft.News Release3 min readNASA Funds Study of Proposals to Investigate Space Weather Systems5 min readEd Stone, Former Director of JPL, Voyager Project Scientist, DiesArticle6 days ago2 min readNASA’s Heliophysics Experiment to Study Sun on European MissionNews ReleaseA computer screen still frame of the Aurorasaurus application showing a map of the US with green and red dots indicating the probability of a visible aurora.2 min readAurorasaurus Roars During Historic Solar StormArticle4 weeks agoThe SunSpace WeatherMagnetospheresIonosphere, Thermosphere & MesosphereHeliosphereSolar EclipsesThe SunThe sun is a dynamic star, made of super-hot ionized gas called plasma.The sun's surface and atmosphere change continually, driven by the magnetic forces generated by this constantly-moving plasma. The sun releases energy in two ways: the usual flow of light that illuminates the Earth and makes life possible; but also in more violent and dramatic ways--it gives off bursts of light, particles, and magnetic fields that can have ripple effects all the way out to the solar system's magnetic edge.Read MoreSolar activity follows a roughly 11-year cycle. This composite image shows the sun in extreme ultraviolet wavelengths about once a year over the course of a complete solar cycle.ESA / NASA / SOHOSpace WeatherThough space is about a thousand times emptier than even the best laboratory vacuums on Earth, it’s not completely devoid of matter.The sun’s constant outflow of solar wind fills space with a thin and tenuous wash of particles, fields, and plasma. This solar wind, along with other solar events like giant explosions called coronal mass ejections, influences the very nature of space and can interact with the magnetic systems of Earth and other worlds. Such effects also change the radiation environment through which our spacecraft – and, one day, our astronauts headed to Mars – travel.Read MoreAn artist's illustration of events on the sun changing the conditions in Near-Earth space.An artist's illustration of events on the sun changing the conditions in Near-Earth space.NASAMagnetospheresA magnetosphere is the region around a planet dominated by the planet's magnetic field.Other planets in our solar system have magnetospheres, but Earth has the strongest one of all the rocky planets: Earth's magnetosphere is a vast, comet-shaped bubble, which has played a crucial role in our planet's habitability. Life on Earth initially developed and continues to be sustained under the protection of this magnetic environment.Read MoreEarth is surrounded by a giant magnetic bubble called the magnetosphere, which is is part of a dynamic, interconnected system that responds to solar, planetary, and interstellar conditions.NASAIonosphere, Thermosphere and MesosphereNASA’s heliophysics researches the ionosphere-thermosphere-mesosphere region where our neutral atmosphere transitions into the ionized plasma of space.In this thin shell that surrounds our home planet, the atmosphere is in constant motion, shaped by the influence of both solar activity and changes in the lower atmosphere and in near-Earth space. But this region is more than just a passive boundary — energy is not only deposited but also transformed in and transported through this region, and it’s an active source of energy and plasma into the magnetosphere.Read MoreGraphic diagram of the Ionosphere​Stretching from roughly 50 to 400 miles above the surface, this region, called the ionosphere, is an electrified layer of the upper atmosphere, generated by extreme ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center / Mary Pat Hrybyk-KeithHeliosphereThe sun sends out a constant flow of charged particles called the solar wind, which ultimately travels past all the planets to some three times the distance to Pluto before being impeded by the interstellar medium.This forms a giant bubble around the sun and its planets, known as the heliosphere. NASA studies the heliosphere to better understand the fundamental physics of the space surrounding us - which, in turn, provides information regarding space throughout the rest of the universe, as well as regarding what makes planets habitable.Read More2g.Heliosphere_Image_main_BoundariesLg.jpgThe sun sends out a constant flow of solar material called the solar wind, which creates a bubble around the planets called the heliosphere. The heliosphere acts as a shield that protects the planets from interstellar radiation.NASASolar EclipsesNASA studies solar eclipses on the ground, in our atmosphere, and in space, influencing solar and Earth science.Sometimes when the moon orbits Earth, it moves between the sun and Earth. This doesn't happen every month, because the moon doesn't orbit in the exact same plane that the sun and Earth do – but it does happen occasionally. When it happens, the moon blocks the light of the sun from reaching Earth. This causes an eclipse of the sun*,*or solar eclipse. During a solar eclipse, the moon casts a shadow onto Earth.Read MoreA black circle representing the Moon, surrounded by bright light from the Sun's atmosphereA total solar eclipse is seen on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, above Madras, Oregon. During a total solar eclipse, the Moon will completely block the visible surface of the Sun, revealing the star’s outer atmosphere.NASA / Aubrey GemignaniScience QuestionsThis atmospheric Picture of the Week, taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows a dark, gloomy scene in the constellation of Gemini (The Twins). The subject of this image confused astronomers when it was first studied — rather than being classified as a single object, it was instead recorded as two objects, owing to its symmetrical lobed structure (known as NGC 2371 and NGC 2372, though sometimes referred to together as NGC 2371/2).  These two lobes are visible to the upper right and lower left of the frame, and together form something known as a planetary nebula. Despite the name, such nebulae have nothing to do with planets; NGC 2371/2 formed when a Sun-like star reached the end of its life and blasted off its outer layers, shedding the constituent material and pushing it out into space to leave just a superheated stellar remnant behind. This remnant is visible as the orange-tinted star at the centre of the frame, sitting neatly between the two lobes. The structure of this region is complex. It is filled with dense knots of gas, fast-moving jets that appear to be changing direction over time, and expanding clouds of material streaming outwards on diametrically opposite sides of the remnant star. Patches of this scene glow brightly as the remnant star emits energetic radiation that excites the gas within these regions, causing it to light up. This scene will continue to change over the next few thousand years; eventually the knotty lobes will dissipate completely, and the remnant star will cool and dim to form a white dwarf.  Links: Image of NGC 2371 published in 2008 Image of NGC 2371 published 1997What causes the sun to vary?This atmospheric Picture of the Week, taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows a dark, gloomy scene in the constellation of Gemini (The Twins). The subject of this image confused astronomers when it was first studied — rather than being classified as a single object, it was instead recorded as two objects, owing to its symmetrical lobed structure (known as NGC 2371 and NGC 2372, though sometimes referred to together as NGC 2371/2).  These two lobes are visible to the upper right and lower left of the frame, and together form something known as a planetary nebula. Despite the name, such nebulae have nothing to do with planets; NGC 2371/2 formed when a Sun-like star reached the end of its life and blasted off its outer layers, shedding the constituent material and pushing it out into space to leave just a superheated stellar remnant behind. This remnant is visible as the orange-tinted star at the centre of the frame, sitting neatly between the two lobes. The structure of this region is complex. It is filled with dense knots of gas, fast-moving jets that appear to be changing direction over time, and expanding clouds of material streaming outwards on diametrically opposite sides of the remnant star. Patches of this scene glow brightly as the remnant star emits energetic radiation that excites the gas within these regions, causing it to light up. This scene will continue to change over the next few thousand years; eventually the knotty lobes will dissipate completely, and the remnant star will cool and dim to form a white dwarf.  Links: Image of NGC 2371 published in 2008 Image of NGC 2371 published 1997How do Earth, the planets, and the heliosphere respond?This atmospheric Picture of the Week, taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows a dark, gloomy scene in the constellation of Gemini (The Twins). The subject of this image confused astronomers when it was first studied — rather than being classified as a single object, it was instead recorded as two objects, owing to its symmetrical lobed structure (known as NGC 2371 and NGC 2372, though sometimes referred to together as NGC 2371/2).  These two lobes are visible to the upper right and lower left of the frame, and together form something known as a planetary nebula. Despite the name, such nebulae have nothing to do with planets; NGC 2371/2 formed when a Sun-like star reached the end of its life and blasted off its outer layers, shedding the constituent material and pushing it out into space to leave just a superheated stellar remnant behind. This remnant is visible as the orange-tinted star at the centre of the frame, sitting neatly between the two lobes. The structure of this region is complex. It is filled with dense knots of gas, fast-moving jets that appear to be changing direction over time, and expanding clouds of material streaming outwards on diametrically opposite sides of the remnant star. Patches of this scene glow brightly as the remnant star emits energetic radiation that excites the gas within these regions, causing it to light up. This scene will continue to change over the next few thousand years; eventually the knotty lobes will dissipate completely, and the remnant star will cool and dim to form a white dwarf.  Links: Image of NGC 2371 published in 2008 Image of NGC 2371 published 1997What are the impacts on humanity?Helpful LinksMissionsSenior ReviewsHeliophysics Mission Fleet ChartHeliophysics Organization ChartsNational Space Weather ProgramFeatured StoryUnlocking the Sun’s X-raysPROJECT Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) SNAPSHOT NASA has developed a new type of instrument that can provide key...Read the StoryPhoto of a large metal instrument in a lab
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