Introducing the Heliophysics Big Year
In October 2023, NASA is launching the Heliophysics Big Year – a global celebration of solar science and the Sun’s influence on Earth, our solar system, and beyond. Modeled after the “Big Year” concept from citizen scientists in the bird-watching community, the Heliophysics Big Year challenges everyone to get involved with Sun-related activities. The Heliophysics Big Year begins in October 2023 and runs through December 2024.
Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.
Music: “Nanofiber” by Andrew Michael Britton [PRS], David Stephen Goldsmith [PRS]; “Climbing the Ladder” by Jose Tomas Novoa Espinosa [BMI] via Universal Production Music
Complete transcript available.
For More Information
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
-
Writer
- Denise Hill (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
-
Editor
- Beth Anthony (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
-
Producers
- Beth Anthony (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
- Joy Ng (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
- Lacey Young (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
Series
This visualization can be found in the following series:Related Pages
-
-
ID: 14400 Infographic
Annular Solar Eclipse Flyers
Read moreOn Oct. 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will cross North, Central, and South America. Visible in parts of the United States, Mexico, and many countries in South and Central America, millions of people in the Western Hemisphere can experience this eclipse. ||
-
ID: 14401 Produced Video
NASA’s Eclipse Art
Read more“The greatest scientists are artists as well.” ~Albert EinsteinArt and science have been treated as separate disciplines but have more in common than is often realized. Creativity is critical to making scientific breakthroughs, and art is often an expression (or product) of scientific knowledge. And both art and science begin in the experience of awe, of beholding something grand. The experience of a solar eclipse is a prime example of where these two human endeavors meet.Eclipses are celestial events we can predict with extreme precision, and their occurrence reveals fundamental truths about our place in the universe. Yet, as many eclipse watchers will attest, there is no anticipating how you will feel when experiencing one. The emotional resonance of eclipses is underlined by their presence in artforms in cultures across the world going back millennia.To celebrate the special role of eclipses in connecting art and science, creatives across NASA will be sharing their eclipse-inspired artwork in anticipation of two solar eclipses that will cross the United States on October 14, 2023, and April 8, 2024.The first two pieces in the series are presented below, with short biographies of their creators. ||
-
ID: 14427 Produced Video
![Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.Music credit: "Creativity" by Max van Thun [GEMA] from Universal Production Music.](/vis/a010000/a014400/a014427/Thumbnail_01.jpg)
Study Eclipses With NASA
Read moreSolar eclipses are awe-inspiring experiences – but did you know you can help NASA study them? Many NASA discoveries are achieved with help from volunteer scientists like you! Here are some of the citizen science projects kicking off for the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.Visit https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/citizen-science/ to learn more! ||
-
ID: 14428 Produced Video
![Complete transcript available.Music Credit: “Rise Now Our Hero” by Dan Thiessen [BMI] via Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA.gov Video YouTube channel.](/vis/a010000/a014400/a014428/14428_HBY_Trailer_thumbnail.jpg)
Heliophysics Big Year Trailer
Read moreIn October 2023, NASA is launching the Heliophysics Big Year – a global celebration of solar science and the Sun’s influence on Earth, our solar system, and beyond. Modeled after the “Big Year” concept from citizen scientists in the bird-watching community, the Heliophysics Big Year challenges everyone to get involved with fun Sun-related activities.Visit go.nasa.gov/HelioBigYear to learn more! ||
-
ID: 14430 Produced Video
![Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.Music credit: "Synthesis" by Andy Blythe [PRS] and Marten Joustra [PRS] from Universal Production Music.](/vis/a010000/a014400/a014430/Thumbnail_01.jpg)
Capturing the Sounds of a Solar Eclipse
Read moreIn April 2024, volunteers can join the Eclipse Soundscapes project to help NASA scientists better understand how wildlife is impacted by solar eclipses. Volunteers will gather sound recordings, make observations using any of their senses, and even help with data analysis from across the path of the eclipse. This video features interviews from Eclipse Soundscapes experts MaryKay Severino, Dr. William “Trae” Winter III, and Dr. William Oestreich, and highlights natural resource manager Dr. Chace Holzhueser at Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, who will be conducting a similar study for the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.Visit https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/citizen-science/ to learn more! ||
-
ID: 14420 Produced Video
Heliophysics Big Year Graphic Elements
Read moreThe Heliophysics Big Year is a NASA-led public engagement campaign designed to promote heliophysics broadly, make heliophysics science and information accessible to all, and showcase ongoing efforts to understand the Sun and all that it touches. We are challenging the public to participate in as many Sun science activities as possible from October 2023 to December 2024, leading up to and around solar maximum.This page contains graphic elements for use in promotion and support of the Heliophysics Big Year. Anyone supporting the Heliophysics Big Year effort may use these resources in accordance with the guidance listed in the captions. ||
-
ID: 14395 Produced Video
![Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.Music credit: “Easy Breezy” by James Alexander John Welland [PRS] and Thomas Trueman [PRS] from Universal Production Music.](/vis/a010000/a014300/a014395/14395_AreYourEclipseGlassesSafe_Thumbnail.jpg)
Find Out if Your Eclipse Glasses Are Safe
Read moreHow can you tell if your eclipse glasses are safe? With the annular solar eclipse just around on the corner on Oct. 14, 2023, here is a quick and easy way to make sure your eclipse glasses are safe to use.When watching an annular eclipse directly with your eyes, you must look through safe solar viewing glasses (“eclipse glasses”) or a safe handheld solar viewer at all times. Eclipse glasses are not regular sunglasses – no matter how dark, sunglasses are not safe for viewing the Sun.To learn more about eclipse safety, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/EclipseEyeSafety ||
-
ID: 14391 Produced Video
![Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Except during the brief phase of totality during a total solar eclipse, you should never look directly at the Sun without proper eye protection specially designed for solar viewing. Do not use standard binoculars or telescopes to watch a solar eclipse without safe solar filters attached to the front of the device. Regular sunglasses are NOT safe for attempting to look directly at the Sun.Music Credit: “Happy Strut” by Dan Phillipson [PRS] via Universal Production MusicAdditional Graphics: Vecteezy.com, Motionarray.comComplete transcript available.](/vis/a010000/a014300/a014391/14391_Thumbnail.jpg)
How to Make a Box Pinhole Projector
Read moreWant to view a solar eclipse but don’t have eclipse glasses? No problem! An easy way to safely view a solar eclipse is with a box pinhole projector. With a few simple supplies, you can create a safe and fun way to experience the magic of an eclipse from anywhere. Watch this how-to video to see just how easy it is! ||
-
ID: 14394 Produced Video
Annular Eclipse Safety GIFs with Nicola Fox
Read moreOn Oct. 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will cross North, Central, and South America. The Sun is never completely blocked by the Moon during an annular solar eclipse. Therefore, during an annular eclipse, it is never safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing.These GIFs, featuring Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, can be used as reminders for safe solar viewing this October.Learn more about how to safely watch the annular solar eclipse: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/2023/oct-14-annular/safety/ ||
-
ID: 14390 Produced Video
![VERTICAL VersionMusic Credit: “Tall Grass” by Jacob Paul Turner [BMI], Marc Pueschl [GEMA], Sebastian Barnaby Robertson [BMI] via Universal Production MusicComplete transcript available.](/vis/a010000/a014300/a014390/AnnularEclipseSafety_Thumbnail-VERTICAL_print.jpg)
How to Safely Watch an Annular Eclipse
Read moreOn Oct. 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will cross North, Central, and South America. Visible in parts of the United States, Mexico, and many countries in South and Central America, millions of people in the Western Hemisphere can experience this eclipse.Eclipses are a wonderful experience, but it’s important to carefully follow safety procedures. During an annular eclipse, there is no period of totality when the Moon completely blocks the Sun. Therefore, it is never safe to look directly at the annular eclipse without proper eye protection specially designed for solar viewing. Do not use standard binoculars or telescopes to watch a solar eclipse without safe solar filters attached to the front of the device. Regular sunglasses are NOT safe for attempting to look directly at the Sun. ||
-
ID: 14168 Produced Video
The Heliophysics Big Year
Read moreThe Heliophysics Big Year is a global celebration of solar science and the Sun’s influence on Earth and the entire solar system.During the Heliophysics Big Year, you will have the opportunity to participate in many solar science events such as watching solar eclipses, experiencing an aurora, participating in citizen science projects, and other fun Sun-related activities.Join us from October 2023 to December 2024!go.nasa.gov/HelioBigYear ||
-
-
-
ID: 14256 Produced Video
![Complete transcript available.This video can be freely shared and downloaded. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, some individual imagery provided by Pond5.com is obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/guidelines/index.htmlUniversal Production Music: Sky Castle [Instrumental] by Caleb Jordan Swift [ASCAP]](/vis/a010000/a014200/a014256/Thumbnail_ESO.jpg)
Introducing: NASA's Earth System Observatory
Read moreComplete transcript available.This video can be freely shared and downloaded. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, some individual imagery provided by Pond5.com is obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/guidelines/index.htmlUniversal Production Music: Sky Castle [Instrumental] by Caleb Jordan Swift [ASCAP] || Thumbnail_ESO.jpg (1920x1080) [841.6 KB] || Thumbnail_ESO_print.jpg (1024x576) [362.3 KB] || Thumbnail_ESO_searchweb.png (320x180) [94.2 KB] || Thumbnail_ESO_thm.png (80x40) [7.3 KB] || 14256_ESO_Sizzle_2022.mp4 (1920x1080) [276.5 MB] || 14256_ESO_Sizzle_2022.webm (1920x1080) [14.8 MB] || 14256_ESOSizzle2022.en_US.srt [2.5 KB] || 14256_ESOSizzle2022.en_US.vtt [2.3 KB] ||
-
ID: 14045 Produced Video
NASA's Parker Solar Probe Touches The Sun For The First Time
Read moreFor the first time in history, a spacecraft has touched the Sun. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has now flown through the Sun’s upper atmosphere – the corona – and sampled particles and magnetic fields there. The new milestone marks one major step for Parker Solar Probe and one giant leap for solar science. Just as landing on the Moon allowed scientists to understand how it was formed, touching the very stuff the Sun is made of will help scientists uncover critical information about our closest star and its influence on the solar system. More information here. ||
-
ID: 13778 Produced Video
Solar Activity Continues to Rise with 'Anemone' Eruption
Read moreShort video showing the solar flare and subsequent prominence eruption and "arcade" of loops.Credit: NASA/GSFC/SDOMusic: "Beautiful Awesome" from Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || Anemone_Eruption_131-171_Blend.jpg (1920x1080) [281.9 KB] || Anemone_Eruption_131-171_Blend_searchweb.png (320x180) [78.6 KB] || Anemone_Eruption_131-171_Blend_thm.png (80x40) [6.6 KB] || 13778_Anemone_Eruption_ProRes_1920x1080_2997.mov (1920x1080) [2.0 GB] || 13778_Anemone_Eruption_Best_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [718.2 MB] || 13778_Anemone_Eruption_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [220.6 MB] || 13778_Anemone_Eruption_Best_1080.webm (1920x1080) [16.0 MB] || AnemoneEruption_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt [500 bytes] || AnemoneEruption_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt [513 bytes] ||
-
ID: 13275 Produced Video
![Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.Music credits: “Boreal Moment” by Benoit Scarwell [SACEM]; “Sensory Questioning”, “Natural Time Cycles”, “Emerging Designer”, and “Experimental Design” by Laurent Dury [SACEM]; “Superluminal” by Lee Groves [PRS], Peter George Marett [PRS] from Killer Tracks](/vis/a010000/a013200/a013275/13275_AstronautRadiation_Twitter.01205_print.jpg)
How NASA Will Protect Astronauts From Space Radiation
Read moreAugust 1972, as NASA scientist Ian Richardson remembers it, was hot. In Surrey, England, where he grew up, the fields were brown and dry, and people tried to stay out of the Sun, indoors and televisions on. But for several days that month, his TV picture kept breaking up. “Do not adjust your set,” he recalls the BBC announcing. “Heat isn’t causing the interference. It’s sunspots.”The same sunspots that disrupted the television signals led to enormous solar flares — powerful bursts of radiation from the Sun — Aug. 4-7 that year. Between the Apollo 16 and 17 missions, the solar eruptions were a near miss for lunar explorers. Had they been in orbit or on the Moon’s surface, they would have sustained dangerous levels of solar radiation sparked by the eruptions. Today, the Apollo-era flares serve as a reminder of the threat of radiation exposure for technology and astronauts in space. Understanding and predicting solar eruptions is crucial for safe space exploration. Almost 50 years since those 1972 storms, the data, technology and resources available to NASA have improved, enabling advancements towards space weather forecasts and astronaut protection — key to NASA’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon.Read more on NASA.gov. ||
-
ID: 12901 Produced Video
NASA Spacecraft Finds New Magnetic Process in Turbulent Space
Read moreThough close to home, the space immediately around Earth is full of hidden secrets and invisible processes. In a new discovery reported in the journal Nature, scientists working with NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft — MMS — have uncovered a new type of magnetic event in our near-Earth environment by using an innovative technique to squeeze extra information out of the data.Magnetic reconnection is one of the most important processes in the space — filled with charged particles known as plasma — around Earth. This fundamental process dissipates magnetic energy and propels charged particles, both of which contribute to a dynamic space weather system that scientists want to better understand, and even someday predict, as we do terrestrial weather. Reconnection occurs when crossed magnetic field lines snap, explosively flinging away nearby particles at high speeds. The new discovery found reconnection where it has never been seen before — in turbulent plasma. ||
-
ID: 20130 Animation
-