Astrophysics & Particle Physics-APPC 2026

Solar Physics is the study of astrophysics that aims to elucidate the Sun, its constitution, motion, and physical processes responsible for solar activity. The Sun’s behavior, including solar flares, sunspots, and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), directly influences space weather, which affects Earth’s magnetosphere, satellite operations, and technological systems.The study of solar cycles—approximately 11-year periods of varying solar activity—helps scientists predict periods of high activity when solar storms and space weather events are most likely. Solar wind, a steady stream of charged particles from the Sun, collides with Earth's magnetic field, producing phenomena like auroras and, in extreme instances, geomagnetic storms that can be detrimental to communication networks, power grids, and satellites.Solar physicists employ a blend of ground-based observatories, space telescopes, and solar missions to observe the Sun in various wavelengths. These instruments scan solar radiation, magnetic fields, plasma currents, and energetic particles to return vital information used in modeling the Sun's effect on the heliosphere and interplanetary space.

Space weather scientists concentrate on learning and predicting how solar-terrestrial interaction occurs and how it could impact human-made objects and Earth-based systems. By understanding the Sun's magnetic fields, solar eruptions, and particle emissions, researchers can create early-warning systems to offset the dangers of severe space weather phenomena.Solar physics also advances fundamental understanding in plasma physics, magnetic reconnection, and energy transport within the Sun's atmosphere. Studies of the Sun's solar corona, its outermost portion, explain why the Sun is hotter than the Sun's surface and the processes of solar eruptions. Knowledge about the Sun and space weather is important not just for technology but also for space exploration to the rest of the universe. Solar physics offers information on stellar activity, magnetic effects, and dynamic processes that take place in other stars, thus forming a foundation for astrophysics and heliophysics studies.