NASA Hangout: All Eyes on the Sun

On March 29, 2014, an X-class flare burst off the right side of the sun . . . and NASA was watching.

Coordinating their observations, five NASA observatories and one ground-based telescope were able to see things in the flare they'd never seen before.  Numerous other NASA spacecraft provided additional data about what was happening on the sun during the event and what the effects were at Earth. 

Join us at 2:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 8, 2014, as researchers describe how multiple missions worked together to explore the sun's surface and atmosphere, layer by layer, providing unprecedented images of the onset of a solar flare.  

In addition to the colorful pictures of the sun that NASA will share, participants will explain how such research can help scientists better understand what sets off these large explosions on the sun. Perhaps, someday scientists may be able to predict their onset, forewarning of the radio blackouts they can cause near Earth -- blackouts that can interfere with military, airplane and ship communications.

Participants include: 
Adrian Daw: IRIS project scientist at NASA Goddard
Albert Shih: RHESSI scientist at NASA Goddard
Sabrina Savage: Hinode deputy project scientist at NASA Marshall
Lucia Kleint: Bay Area Environmental Research Institute 
Jeffrey Newmark: NASA Headquarters