Sample return experts at the Space Sciences Laboratory uncover asteroid Bennu’s secrets
When NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft passed by the Earth in 2023 and released a sample return capsule, it marked the end of a journey to visit and collect a small piece of an asteroid, but the journey to understanding that material had only just begun.
Stuart D. Bale awarded Arctowski Medal for solar physics research
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
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 […]
FOXSI-4 observes large solar flare
FOXSI-4 successfully pioneered the observation of a large solar flare onboard a sounding rocket.
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!
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 […]
EnduroSat Partners with SSL/UCB and NASA to Launch PADRE Mission to Study the Sun
EnduroSat, the Space Sciences Laboratory at UC Berkeley, and NASA have partnered to launch the PADRE mission, a CubeSat that will study the Sun in hard X-rays. The mission is scheduled to launch in 2025 and will help scientists to better understand solar activity, solar flares, and space weather.The PADRE science instruments will be hosted […]
Bale unfazed by “internet apocalypse”
In an article on June 28th, the Washington Post tried to allay recent concerns—hyped on social media—about the impact of future solar storms. A typical scary narrative foretells “magnetic fields unleashed by a solar superstorm rip through Earth’s magnetosphere, sending currents surging through human infrastructure…We look up from our phones and computers to catch a […]
