the sun
Latest about the sun
![X-rays stream off the sun in this first picture of the sun, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory SDO, taken by NASA NuSTAR. The field of view covers the west limb of the sun.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/upHoZyreEYKZdzkEJfyoTa-320-80.jpg)
'Ghost' particles from the sun could lead us straight to an invisible trove of dark matter
By Paul Sutter published
New research suggests that the sun may hold dark matter in its fiery heart, and ghostly particles called neutrinos could lead us to it.
![An illustration of a bright black hole called a quasar at the center of a bustling galaxy](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NWxRwRMG2A7US3DdWHGGdj-320-80.jpg)
Will the sun ever become a black hole?
By Robert Lea published
Black hole sun, won't you come? It all depends on a star's mass before it dies.
![A close-up of the fiery sun in space](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZqCVAhnTcfX8FCsGXnWoDg-320-80.jpg)
India's 1st mission to study the sun launches Sept. 2
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
The Aditya-1 solar mission launches hot on the heels of India's first moon landing.
![A bright orange sunset sky shows the 2012 annular eclipse with the shadow of a windmill.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Yd6opf4wQSVZS33La6vszK-320-80.jpg)
'Ring of fire' solar eclipse 2023: How to watch in-person (and virtually)
By Jamie Carter published
On Oct. 14, an epic 'ring of fire' annular solar eclipse will swoop across North America, providing once-in-a-lifetime views for several states. Here’s how to watch, no matter where you are.
![Venus transit across the sun](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EBhAZYqATWQunGC4Rab6JU-320-80.jpg)
15 dazzling images of the sun
By Donavyn Coffey published
The sun is Earth's closest star, yet its beauty is too intense to appreciate with the naked eye. Here are some of the most stunning solar images that our satellites and telescopes have captured.
![Observations of the Sun taken on Oct. 12, 2022 show magnetic waves highlighted by colored boxes that could explain coronal heating](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UUpaiTNAD3EHe9n6Bv4YtN-320-80.png)
Mysterious waves of magnetism may explain why the sun's atmosphere is hotter than physicists thought possible
By Robert Lea published
The sun's corona is 200 times hotter than its surface, defying models of stellar bodies. Now, this 80-year-old puzzle may finally have a solution.
![A huge loop of fiery plasma bursts out of the sun's surface](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XSXjdmUUP3iM68od5QNvcP-320-80.jpg)
Massive solar explosion felt on Earth, the moon and Mars simultaneously for the 1st time ever
By Joanna Thompson published
Instruments in different parts of the solar system all captured radiation from the same coronal mass ejection for the first time ever.
![The setting sun looks like it is melting as it sets beneath the horizon](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/52NBuPfKq7tXR5RLPWgWr6-320-80.jpg)
Rising and setting 'Omega sun' melts into a 'lava-like blob' in trippy mirage photos
By Harry Baker published
In back to back days, the sun appeared to melt into the horizon due to a trippy optical illusion called the "Omega sun."
![A close-up of the fiery yellow atmosphere of the sun, with whip-like lines of coronal rain streaking downward](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GWmcn5PfgBtjqcA6bHaZvn-320-80.png)
Dazzling 'shooting stars' discovered in the sun's atmosphere. What are they really?
By Joanna Thompson published
A phenomenon called coronal rain produces hot plasma clumps that streak through the sun's atmosphere like meteors, new data reveals.
![The sun covered in hundreds of sunspots in a time-lapse image of June](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Pxn6n8dTQrBuq4VTMRj395-320-80.jpg)
Sunspot numbers hit 20-year high, indicating the sun is fast approaching its explosive peak
By Harry Baker published
The number of sunspots in June was higher than any month during the current or previous solar cycles, suggesting the upcoming solar peak will be far more active than initially anticipated.
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