- Friday 26 April 2013
- 8.00pm to 9.15pm
- Lecturers: Dr Helen Mason
The Sun goes through an 11 year cycle of activity. For the past few years it has been very quiet, but now it is becoming active again, with huge explosions and solar flares which shoot very hot material into space at extremely high speeds. This hot gas can hit the Earth's atmosphere, and cause chaos with modern technology, knocking out satellites, affecting communications, even causing major electrical black-outs. Scientists are watching the Sun from space, with several different spacecraft: Hinode, Stereo, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory and the Solar Dynamics Observatory.
Helen Mason will explore what causes solar activity and what we are learning about the Sun from space observations in the ultraviolet and X-ray wavelength ranges.
Tickets: Free to Members, Faraday and Fellows, £10 Associates and £15 guests
If you haven't been before, you should bear in mind that FEDs are by tradition formal occasions, and while evening dress is not obligatory, it is customary. Smart dress is acceptable.
Make a night of it! Come for a cocktail or something delicious, modern and British to eat in the bar. The bar and café at the Ri has the perfect atmosphere for a night out.