Heliophysics Big Year

What is NASA’s HBY?

The Heliophysics Big Year (HBY) is an initiative by NASA designed to raise public awareness and engagement in heliophysics, which is the study of the Sun and its effects on the solar system, including Earth. The goal is to highlight major solar events and milestones in space weather research, along with NASA’s missions that study the Sun and its interaction with the planets, solar wind, and magnetic fields.

The HBY features activities, citizen science projects, and observational opportunities for people to participate in solar and space weather phenomena. It coincides with key events such as solar eclipses, the solar cycle’s peak (solar maximum), and other significant heliophysics mission milestones, making it an exciting year for enthusiasts and researchers alike. The initiative encourages people to learn about how solar activity influences space weather and impacts technology and daily life on Earth.

Solar Cycle and Solar Max

In October 2024, NASA’s Heliophysics Big Year will focus on the theme of the Solar Cycle and Solar Maximum. This theme explores the natural 11-year cycle of the Sun’s magnetic activity, which involves shifts from periods of relative calm to increased activity and solar storms. During the Solar Maximum, the Sun’s magnetic field flips, causing heightened solar phenomena like solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These events impact space weather, which can affect satellite communications, GPS, and power grids on Earth.

Solar Maximum Prediction — Solar Cycle. Courtesy David Hathaway and Lisa Upton.

Our COFFIES research is dedicated to advancing our understanding and forecasting of the solar cycle, making this Heliophysics Big Year theme especially significant for us. To celebrate this theme, we’ll be hosting a range of engaging activities that highlight the fascinating aspects of the solar cycle and its impact on our daily lives. We invite you to join us in our celebration by checking out the following resources:

Solar Cycle Progression Page

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center provided monthly updates on the progress of the solar cycle.

COFFIES Seminar

The October 2024 COFFIES Seminar will feature a presentation by Dr. Lisa Upton on the Solar Cycle and Solar Maximum.

COFFIES Public Lecture/Ask Me Anything

COFFIES is organizing a public lecture to help introduce the solar cycle to everyone. We also plan to give members a chance to ask questions about the topic. Find more details here!

Science on a Sphere

SoS is display system that projects visualizations onto a globe for better visualization of spherical data (like planets and the Sun). To Celebrate this theme, COFFIES has created a special SoS presentation on our Magnetic Sun! Stay Tuned!

HMI Polar Fields

The Sun’s polar magnetic fields are a key diagnostic of the progress of the solar cycle. Take a look at how they are evolving on the HMI Polar Field page.

Recommended Classes and Activities

COFFIES is working on preparing a list of recommended classroom lessons and/or learning activities around this theme. Stay Tuned!

Activities For Kids

Some activities created by the Solar Dynamics Observatories’ Education and Public Outreach team can be found at Stanford Solar Center.

#HeliophysicsIsAWord

Though “Heliophysics” has been scientific word for over two decades, but is still not in the dictionary! Please help us celebrate the HBY, by using this hashtag to help us get “Heliophysics” in the dictionaries!

#heliophysicsIsAWord

Other HBY Themes

October 2023 – Annular Eclipse: The Heliophysics Big Year starts off with the Oct. 14, 2023, annular solar eclipse, which will pass over North America from the U.S. to Mexico. During an annular eclipse, the Moon is slightly too far away from Earth to completely block the Sun, creating a “ring of fire” effect in the sky. For October, COFFIES participated in many outreach activities around the world, including Columbia, Stanford, Lowell Observatory, and others.
November 2023 – Mission Fleet: This month will celebrate the NASA Heliophysics mission fleet including its newest member, the Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE), set to launch during the month. The November COFFIES Seminar focused on some historical citizen science, in preparation for December’s HBY topic.
December 2023 – Citizen Science: Citizen science has enabled many heliophysics discoveries, including new types of auroras. This month will explore ongoing citizen science projects in heliophysics. COFFIES celebrated by supporting our colleagues who organized Citizen CATE and Eclipse Megamovie.
January 2024 – The Sun Touches Everything: From agriculture to economics, the Sun touches all parts of our lives. This month delves into all the ways we’re influenced by the Sun. The January COFFIES Seminar featured presenters from the three NASA Heliophysics Drive Science Centers.
February 2024 – Fashion: Is there Sun in your wardrobe? See how the Sun sheds light on the fashion week catwalks during this month’s theme. The February COFFIES Seminar
March 2024 – Experiencing the Sun: The Sun may be 93 million miles away, but we can still experience it from home, whether its watching eclipses, auroras, or observing its daily influence on our lives. The March COFFIES Seminar focused on cultural expressions of the Sun, led by Bryan Mendez.
April 2024 – Total Solar Eclipse: On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross much of the central and eastern United States. This eclipse will provide viewers a chance to see the Sun’s outer atmosphere – the corona – and it will be the last total solar eclipse that can be seen from the contiguous U.S. until 2044. COFFIES partnered with Poets for Science to capture the public’s thoughts on the total solar eclipse through the project Shared Sky.
May 2024 – Visual Art: The Sun has been depicted in art for thousands of years. This month looks at ways artists around the world are portraying the Sun, from graphic illustrations to street art to ceramics. The COFFIES May Seminar featured solar artwork, led by Lisa Upton.
June 2024 – Performance Art: The Sun also shows up in music and dance – two areas that will be celebrated this month. The June COFFIES Seminar was preceded with a solar-focused poetry reading by Aimee Norton and David Hassler.
July 2024 – Physical and Mental Health: How many steps would it take to walk to the Sun? This month explores connections between the Sun and our physical and mental health from solar-inspired sports teams to Sun-themed meditations. The July COFFIES Seminar featured a mindfulness activity led by Dra. Nicole Cabrera Salazar.
August 2024 – Back to School: To close out the summer, this month’s activities are designed specially for kids of all ages.
September 2024 – Environment and Sustainability: The Sun is a powerful source of energy. This month takes a look at how solar power works and how heliophysics missions use it to power their science. The September COFFIES Seminar featured Lisa Upton a brief discussion on heliophysics’ impact on environment and sustainability.
October 2024 – Solar Cycle and Solar Max: The Sun’s 11-year activity cycle will be nearing its maximum point during this month, which will include activities to explore the solar cycle. The October COFFIES Seminar features Lisa Upton talking about the Solar Cycle and Solar Maximum.
November 2024 – Bonus Science: The Heliophysics Big Year isn’t over yet, and this month will explore unexpected heliophysics discoveries and connections to other scientific divisions.
December 2024 – Parker’s Perihelion: This month, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe mission – the first spacecraft to “touch” the Sun – will make its closest approach to the Sun and close out the Heliophysics Big Year.