PADRE aims to reveal secrets of solar flares

The PADRE cubesat awaiting thermal testing in SSL clean room. (Credit: Alan Toth)

NASA’s PADRE mission will measure hard X-rays emitted during solar flares. It is poised to unlock the secrets of solar flares at a fraction of the cost of previous missions.

Stuart D. Bale awarded Arctowski Medal for solar physics research 

Professor Stuart D. Bale

National Academy of Sciences award includes additional funding for solar physics research Stuart D. Bale, Interim Director of the UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) and Professor of Physics, has been awarded the National Academy of Sciences’ prestigious Arctowski Medal in recognition of his contributions to our understanding of the physics of the solar corona and the […]

MANGO Captures Historic Geomagnetic Storm

colorful circles over line drawing us map

The historic May 11, 2024 geomagnetic storm awed aurora watchers in all 50 states, and scientists are actively analyzing data to determine its impacts on our atmosphere. One example is the NSF-supported MANGO network (Mid-latitude All-sky-imaging Network for Geophysical Observations) in the continental US. MANGO is a partnership between SSL, the University of Illinois and […]

CURIE ready for Ariane 6 launch

Chris Moeckel and Roger Roglans recently returned from Berlin, where they successfully integrated CURIE into the NovaPod with four other satellites. After a stop in Paris, the NovaPod will travel to French Guiana to be launched on an Ariane 6 maiden flight. CURIE is the CUbesat Radio Interferometry Experiment; its two satellites will measure radio […]

Participate in Eclipse Megamovie!

graphic of person at laptop showing images of eclipse

If you have a DSLR camera and a tripod, you can participate in the Eclipse Megamovie project, run by current and former SSL researchers.

Berkeley News: When is an aurora not an aurora?

Phenomena called “Steve” and “picket fence” are masquerading as auroras, graduate student argues. Claire Gasque, a University of California, Berkeley, graduate student in physics, has now proposed a physical explanation for these phenomena that is totally different from the processes responsible for the well-known auroras. She has teamed up with researchers at the campus’s Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) to propose that NASA launch a rocket into the heart of the aurora to find out if she’s correct.

SSL will have a booth at AGU

For the first time, SSL will have its own booth at the Fall American Geophysical Union (AGU) Meeting, from Monday, December 11, through Thursday, December 14, at the Moscone Center. AGU is expected to have more than 25,000 attendees from over one hundred countries and the theme is Wide Open Science. SSL scientists will be […]