Hello! My name is Erika Palmerio and I am a newly qualified Dr in space physics from the University of Helsinki, Finland. In this blog post I will talk about my PhD research and my future career plans. The title of my PhD dissertation is “Magnetic structure and geoeffectiveness of coronal mass ejections”. Coronal mass ejections (or CMEs) are huge and spectacular clouds of magnetic field and plasma ...[Read More]
Jaime de la Cruz Rodriguez – ERC success in the field of solar physics
Coronal Heating Problem is one of the Sun’s unsolved mysteries where the corona is heated to over a million degrees and scientists have not figured out where the energy is coming from. Dr Jaime de la Cruz Rodriguez is tackling this 70 year old puzzle by first understanding the layer of the Sun below the corona – the chromosphere. He is awarded the prestigious starting grant by the Euro ...[Read More]
Prof. Ilya Usoskin – A discussion with an inquiry mind
In Ancient Greece, the Sun was believed to be a god named Helios, who drove his shining carriage pulled by a quadriga along a dangerous and unpaved path through the sky. This was probably the first model of the Sun. Nowadays, we not only have a somewhat better theory but also know that, even during the Ancient Greek era, the Sun was not exactly like in this picture (from http://www.theoi.com/Titan/Helios.html)
In the May issue of the Life of a Scientist we have the pleasure to talk to Prof. Ilya Usoskin from the Univeristy of Oulu, Finland. Among numerous things, he is the head of the Oulu Cosmic Ray station and receipent of this year’s Julius Bartels EGU Medal; a decision that was based: “on his contributions to the understanding of the heliosphere, long-term changes in the solar activity ...[Read More]
Dr. Helen Mason – Solar space missions: a life with the Sun
Image credit: Paul Luckas/Shenton Park Observatory
In the December issue of Life of a Scientist we have an interview of Dr. Helen Mason. She was working at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge, UK until recently when she retired. Her research interests include UV and X-Ray spectrum of the Sun. She has also devoted a lot of time in promoting science and working with schools from all over the w ...[Read More]
Miho Janvier – The Quest for Solar Storms
A snapshot of the Sun as this is revealed by SDO (Credit: SDO)
In this month’s (first ever for our blog) Life of a Scientist interview, we are very happy to talk to Dr Miho Janvier, a Researcher at the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale in Orsay (France), whose work has shed some light on the understanding of solar eruptions and coronal mass ejections (or solar storms) from their birth in the Sun’s corona to their evolution in interplanetary space ...[Read More]