The Sun Touches Humanity
Discover how the Sun touches humanity via a NASA Small Explorer mission called PUNCH, the Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere.
The huge bubble of space influenced by the Sun (encompassing the entire Solar System and more) is called the heliosphere. The solar corona is the Sun's outermost atmosphere, extending millions of kilometres into space. PUNCH is a constellation of four suitcase sized satellites in low-Earth orbit that make global, 3D observations of the entire inner heliosphere between the Sun and Earth.
These observations help us understand the origin and evolution of the solar wind, including the tracking of solar storms from the Sun.
Full preview below.
Film Type
KS3 - KS5 / Adults
Length: 10min
Also available in Spanish
Composite image of modern (2013, lower right) and ancient (1097, upper left) depictions of the solar corona. Find out more here.
