heliophysics
Noun
the scientific study of how the sun works and its effects on the solar system
What does heliophysics mean?
Heliophysics refers to the physical processes (such as nuclear fusion) and phenomena (such as solar flares) of the sun and its influence on the solar system, as well as the scientific study of these processes and influences, especially their effect on what is termed “space weather,” which has an impact on satellite communications, power grids, etc.
Examples of heliophysics
The odds are low that in any given year a storm big enough to cause effects this widespread will happen. And the severity of those impacts will depend on many factors, including the state of our planet’s magnetic field on that day. But it’s a near certainty that some form of this catastrophe will happen someday, says Ian Cohen, a chief scientist who studies heliophysics at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
—Christopher Mims, The Wall Street Journal, 11 Oct. 2023
The heliophysics community is much smaller than that of planetary science or astrophysics. But their work is expanding in the wake of the “Heliophysics Big Year” that saw two solar eclipses and will soon see our closest ever approach to the Sun with the Parker Solar Probe. Heliophysicists also study space weather, energetic outbursts of the Sun that can disrupt satellite communications and power grids on Earth.
—“It’s a truly wonderful time to be studying heliophysics,” said Nicola Fox, director of NASA’s Heliophysics Division in Washington. “We just launched Parker Solar Probe earlier this year, which will give us the first close-up view of what drives the solar wind. Now, with ICON joining our heliophysics system fleet, we will have the incredibly detailed measurements of the ionosphere’s response to the solar drivers. This is an amazing opportunity to study the whole system response.”
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Where does heliophysics come from?
Heliophysics comes from helio-, meaning “sun” (coming from the Greek hēlios) and physics (which can mean "a science that deals with matter and energy and their interactions" or "the physical processes and phenomena of a particular system").
How is heliophysics used?
The earliest-known uses of heliophysics referred mostly to the physics and phenomena of the sun with less emphasis on their wider effects throughout the solar system.
The work is divided into three parts, heliophysics, meteorology, and geophysics. The first treats of the sun, the number, location, size and character of its spots, the faculæ, spectroheliograms and the like.
—Since 1910, the observatory has issued a regular monthly bulletin, printed in two languages, Spanish and French. It gives the numerical data of observations in heliophysics, meteorology, and geophysics.
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Heliophysics is still used in this broader sense today ...
Maruca, who is also a physicist specializing in heliophysics—physics of the sun—has had his fair share of eclipse fun over the years and has learned a trick or two for maximizing enjoyment on the big day.
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... but it is also used more specifically to encompass the sun’s effects on the wider solar system, especially in technical writing and publications.
Deep generative models have recently become popular in heliophysics for their capacity to fill in gaps in solar observational data sets, thereby helping mitigating the data scarcity issue faced in space weather forecasting.
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