‘Journey to the Sun’ series launches with talk on NASA’s solar probes

September 20, 2024

by Tim Crosby

CARBONDALE, Ill. - A series of talks focused on the sun and the major role it plays in the lives of humans kicks off this month at Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a presentation on NASA's solar spacecraft fleet.

The "Journey to the Sun" talk series will begin at 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, at the Guyon Auditorium at Morris Library. The monthly series will continue through April and will be streamed online.

The events are modeled on the previous talk series, "Journey to the Eclipse," which ran in the months leading up to the April 8 total solar eclipse in Southern Illinois.

Cori Brevik, associate professor in the School of Physics and Applied Physics at SIU, will conduct the first presentation, titled "NASA's Fleet of Solar Spacecraft." Brevik will discuss the series of heliophysics spacecraft that focus time and energy on studying the sun and its surrounding environment.

"The sun impacts many aspects of our daily lives, some more obvious like those on weather patterns and agriculture. Other effects are more subtle, like space weather and auroras," Brevik said. "We hope people will join us for a tour through some of NASA's more successful solar probes. We will talk about the spacecraft themselves as well as some of their more exciting scientific discoveries."

Brevik earned her Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Montana State University and her doctorate in astrophysics and planetary science at the University of Colorado. Her current areas of research include solar eclipses, terrestrial light pollution, and physics and astronomy education.

The "Journey to the Sun" talk series is part of SIU's SolarSTEAM effort, a multifaceted, national heliophysics public engagement and empowerment program funded by a $2.6 million NASA grant. SIU's SolarSTEAM team is headed by Harvey Henson, associate professor in the School of Education and director of SIU's STEM Education Research Center, and includes Brevik, Bob Baer and Matt Penn in the School of Physics and Applied Physics, Karla Berry in the School of Media Arts and Justin McDaniel in the School of Human Sciences.

Future programs for the talk series include:

Oct. 25 - Justin Schoof, director of the School of Earth Systems and Sustainability and professor of geography and environmental resources, "The Sun's Role in Earth's Climate."

Dec. 6 - Peggy Hill, emerita professor of physics at Southeast Missouri State University and NASA Solar System Ambassador, "Space Weather: The Sun-Earth Connection."

Additional talks are scheduled for Jan. 31, Feb. 28, March 28 and April 25.

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