The sun is the beating heart of our solar system and supports all life on Earth. At Live Science, you can learn more about this precious star as it reaches a major peak in solar activity called a solar maximum. Whether it's the dazzling "shooting stars" discovered in the sun's atmosphere, a massive solar explosion felt on Earth, the most devastating solar storm in recorded history, or just spectacular images of the sun, our expert writers and editors will have you in awe of that bright ball in the sky with the latest sun news, features and articles.
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Earth may survive the fiery death of the sun after all, new models suggestWhen the sun dies, it will become hundreds of times its current size and engulf the innermost planets. Earth may escape this infernal fate, according to state-of-the-art stellar evolution models.
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'Cannibal' CME from rare 'anti-Hale' sunspot will slam into Earth today, bringing auroras to 23 US statesNorthern lights are projected across the Northern U.S. and Europe tonight as Earth gets hit by a strong solar eruption.
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Eruption blows hole in sun's atmosphere, unleashing solar flare and potentially triggering northern lightsThe sun has erupted with a moderate M5.7 solar flare and a coronal mass ejection that could trigger a northern lights display.
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Northern lights may be visible from several US states Friday and Saturday as giant hole opens up in sun's atmosphereA large hole opened up in the sun's atmosphere this week, spewing high-speed solar winds that will paint northern lights displays across several U.S. states this weekend.
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March could be the best month for the northern lights for nearly a decadeMarch 2026 could be the best month for the northern lights until the mid-2030s, as celestial mechanics and solar activity combine for potentially potent results.
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The sun just experienced its first 'spotless days' in 4 years — but we're not in the clear yetEarlier this week, the number of visible sunspots on our home star fell to zero for the first time in 1,335 days. This normally indicates a period of greatly reduced solar activity, but it's still too soon to relax, experts say.
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Lucky few to see 'ring of fire' solar eclipse over Antarctica on Feb. 17This month's new moon brings an annular (or "ring of fire") solar eclipse, but it will only be visible from parts of Antarctica.
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Auroras likely as most active sunspot in years turns toward EarthThe sunspot region 4366 fired off dozens of powerful solar flares in 24 hours, including the single strongest flare since 2024. Auroras are possible later this week.
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How long does it take the sun to rotate?The time it takes for the sun to completely rotate depends where on the sun you are measuring.
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