The Sun, as our nearest star, is crucial for life on Earth because it provides the warm radiation and light necessary for the evolution of complex life. The Sun has a significant impact on our climate, and solar storms and other high-energy occurrences can pose a threat to satellites and our communication network.
This Very Short Introduction covers the knowledge we currently have on the Sun’s physics, structure, history, and future evolution. Philip Judge uses simple physics and mathematical ideas to explain some of the remaining mysteries surrounding the Sun that we are still unable to solve. Why do sun spots develop? How come it flares? He demonstrates how these and other bothersome issues are related to the Sun’s continuously fluctuating magnetism, which transforms an otherwise uninteresting star into a device for bombarding extraterrestrial space with fluctuating radiation, and high-energy particles, and magnetic ejections. Judge emphasizes the several factors that make the Sun significant and explains why researchers study it throughout.
