How do scientists monitor the Sun's activity?

In summary, scientists and agencies like NASA and ESA use a variety of telescopes and spacecraft to monitor the activity of the Sun, including solar storms. They also build mathematical models and use observations of neutrinos to understand the Sun's interior and predict its future, such as the eventual transition into a Red Giant. However, long before this happens, the Earth will become too hot for human life to survive.
  • #1
kweba
43
1
Hello! I just want to humbly ask how do scientists and agencies like NASA, ESA, etc. monitor the activity of our Sun?

For example, if Solar storms are occurring in the Sun, how do we know it from Earth?

And another specific question:

We know that in about 5 billion years (is this correct?), the sun will end its main sequence phase and enter being a Red Giant, as it loses Hydrogen fuel in its core.

Hypothetically, should we (human civilizations) lived up to that era, how can we know that the Sun is losing hydrogen and enter its Red Giant phase? This is based on our present technologies and machines.

Thank you! Sorry for any wrong statements I may have made above, should there be any.
 
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  • #2
There are a multitude of telescopes and spacecraft that observe the Sun every day. Here's a couple of links to more information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solar_telescopes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Missions_to_the_Sun

We know that in about 5 billion years (is this correct?), the sun will end its main sequence phase and enter being a Red Giant, as it loses Hydrogen fuel in its core.

Hypothetically, should we (human civilizations) lived up to that era, how can we know that the Sun is losing hydrogen and enter its Red Giant phase? This is based on our present technologies and machines.

The Sun will gradually warm over it's lifetime, and upon hitting the boundary between a main sequence star and the Red Giant phase it will greatly expand and brighten over the course of a few million years. (a very short time on the scale of stellar evolution) It will be obvious that the Sun is approaching the Red Giant phase, we quite literally couldn't miss it even if we wanted to. (Especially considering that even if the Earth was still habitable at this point in time, the process would cook the Earth well before the Sun expanded to the point that it took up Earth's orbit.)
 
  • #3
Drakkith said:
There are a multitude of telescopes and spacecraft that observe the Sun every day. Here's a couple of links to more information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solar_telescopes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Missions_to_the_Sun

- Thanks for the links! I'll look into this!

The Sun will gradually warm over it's lifetime, and upon hitting the boundary between a main sequence star and the Red Giant phase it will greatly expand and brighten over the course of a few million years. (a very short time on the scale of stellar evolution)

Yes, I've learned about this as I've read. Thanks!

It will be obvious that the Sun is approaching the Red Giant phase, we quite literally couldn't miss it even if we wanted to. (Especially considering that even if the Earth was still habitable at this point in time, the process would cook the Earth well before the Sun expanded to the point that it took up Earth's orbit.)

Haha I see. Yes it would be obvious. But if I may ask, how obvious would this be from the Earth's (and the people's) point of view? I mean as the Sun goes through the giant phase, if we are still around hypothetically, how would we be able to witness it first hand?" I mean if the Earth would be cooked, it would not be cooked instantaneously, right? Because this would progress over millions of years. Correct? (I apologize if it does not make any sense. It's kind of hard to explain it in words, haha)

I don't know if there's such a thing, but can scientists and agencies like NASA monitor the sun's "hydrogen level" in its core?


Thank you very much! I'm sorry for the persistent questions :))
 
  • #4
kweba said:
I don't know if there's such a thing, but can scientists and agencies like NASA monitor the sun's "hydrogen level" in its core?

People build detailed mathematical models of the sun, and calibrate them against observations, so we think we understand the interior of the sun very well. Below are some links. We can observe neutrinos coming from the sun, and these come directly from the core, so we have good observational evidence of the conditions deep inside the sun.

The standard solar model (SSM - see the second link below) says that the mass fraction of hydrogen in the core (referred to as X in the SSM) has already dropped from its initial value of 70% by mass to 33% by mass, so the sun has already burned up over half of its hydrogen fuel in its core.

As others have said, long before the sun enters its red giant phase, the Earth will have become too hot for humans to live. The sun gradually warms as it burns up hydrogen, and we think it has already increased its luminosity by about 30% from its initial value 4.5 billion years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_solar_model

http://www.ap.stmarys.ca/~guenther/evolution/ssm1998.html
 
  • #5
kweba said:
I mean as the Sun goes through the giant phase, if we are still around hypothetically, how would we be able to witness it first hand?"[/B] I mean if the Earth would be cooked, it would not be cooked instantaneously, right? Because this would progress over millions of years. Correct? (I apologize if it does not make any sense. It's kind of hard to explain it in words, haha)

We would see the sun warming, getting brighter, and eventually start to expand. Not really sure what you are asking.


I don't know if there's such a thing, but can scientists and agencies like NASA monitor the sun's "hydrogen level" in its core?


Thank you very much! I'm sorry for the persistent questions :))
Not directly, but we might be able to measure the reaction rate via neutrino detectors and can infer a lot from observing the outer layers of the sun.
 
  • #6
phyzguy said:
People build detailed mathematical models of the sun, and calibrate them against observations, so we think we understand the interior of the sun very well. Below are some links. We can observe neutrinos coming from the sun, and these come directly from the core, so we have good observational evidence of the conditions deep inside the sun.

The standard solar model (SSM - see the second link below) says that the mass fraction of hydrogen in the core (referred to as X in the SSM) has already dropped from its initial value of 70% by mass to 33% by mass, so the sun has already burned up over half of its hydrogen fuel in its core.

As others have said, long before the sun enters its red giant phase, the Earth will have become too hot for humans to live. The sun gradually warms as it burns up hydrogen, and we think it has already increased its luminosity by about 30% from its initial value 4.5 billion years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_solar_model

http://www.ap.stmarys.ca/~guenther/evolution/ssm1998.html


Thank you! This helped a lot and got more idea especially with the neutrinos! So as the Sun consumes its hydrogen fuel and increase its brightness, Would the Sun have lesser reaction rate, and expect lesser neutrinos detected here on Earth, or would it have higher reaction rate and have more neutrinos detected here on earth?

And also, as the Sun loses its mass, can we also calculate how much mass is lost by calculating the amount of solar energy transmitted by the Sun? Because the For every reaction, a small percentage of the mass is being converted and energy, correct? So could we apply the mass-energy equivalence (E=mc^2) here?
 
  • #7
Drakkith said:
Not directly, but we might be able to measure the reaction rate via neutrino detectors and can infer a lot from observing the outer layers of the sun.

Thank you this helped a lot!

So as the Sun consumes its hydrogen fuel and increase its brightness, Would the Sun have lesser reaction rate, and expect lesser neutrinos detected here on Earth, or would it have higher reaction rate and have more neutrinos detected here on earth?
 
  • #8
kweba said:
Thank you! This helped a lot and got more idea especially with the neutrinos! So as the Sun consumes its hydrogen fuel and increase its brightness, Would the Sun have lesser reaction rate, and expect lesser neutrinos detected here on Earth, or would it have higher reaction rate and have more neutrinos detected here on earth?

I'm not certain, but if it's increasing in brightness then that should mean the core is producing more energy through more nuclear reactions. I would expect a greater neutrino flux. I really don't know though.

And also, as the Sun loses its mass, can we also calculate how much mass is lost by calculating the amount of solar energy transmitted by the Sun? Because the For every reaction, a small percentage of the mass is being converted and energy, correct? So could we apply the mass-energy equivalence (E=mc^2) here?

Yes, the neutrinos, emitted radiation, and solar wind all carry mass away from the Sun.
 
  • #9
kweba said:
Hello! I just want to humbly ask how do scientists and agencies like NASA, ESA, etc. monitor the activity of our Sun?

For example, if Solar storms are occurring in the Sun, how do we know it from Earth?

Here is a very interesting NASA SDO video of what appear to be tornadoes - and all sorts of other peculiar activities - on the surface of the sun.



Respectfully submitted,
Steve
 
Last edited by a moderator:

1. How do scientists measure the Sun's temperature?

Scientists use a device called a spectrophotometer to measure the Sun's temperature. This instrument measures the intensity of different wavelengths of light emitted by the Sun and can provide accurate temperature readings.

2. What is the most common method for monitoring solar flares?

The most common method for monitoring solar flares is through the use of satellites. These satellites have instruments that can detect changes in the Sun's radiation and magnetic field, which are indicators of solar flare activity.

3. How do scientists track solar storms?

Scientists track solar storms by using a variety of instruments, such as telescopes, satellites, and ground-based observatories. These instruments can measure changes in the Sun's magnetic field and radiation, which are indicators of solar storm activity.

4. How do scientists predict the occurrence of sunspots?

Scientists use a combination of observations and mathematical models to predict the occurrence of sunspots. They monitor changes in the Sun's magnetic field and track the movement of sunspot groups to make predictions about future sunspot activity.

5. What is the role of space weather forecasting in monitoring the Sun's activity?

Space weather forecasting plays a crucial role in monitoring the Sun's activity. By predicting solar flares, solar storms, and other phenomena, scientists can help protect satellites, astronauts, and Earth's power grid from the potentially harmful effects of space weather.

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