Learn more about our amazing star, the Sun, when the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences hosts International SUNday on Sunday, June 26, 12:30–3:30 p.m. Safely view the Sun through solar telescopes, find out how the Sun will change our planet in the future, and learn what spacecraft can tell us about the Sun, from the surface to the center. International SUNday is held annually on the Sunday nearest to the summer solstice, which is the day with the most hours of sunlight during the entire year, marking the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The event is free.
From 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., visitors can take a look at the Sun through the Museum’s solar telescopes. Visitors will be able to observe the Sun through hydrogen-alpha and white-light filters, which highlight fascinating surface features and solar storms. Solar observing will take place on the Rooftop Terrace of the Museum’s Nature Research Center (4th Floor).
Visitors can also attend talks in the SECU Daily Planet Theater, located in the Nature Research Center. At 12:30 p.m., join Dr. Rachel Smith, Head of the Museum’s Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Lab, for a presentation on “The Living Sun: How Stars Affect (Potential) Life on Planets.” How does the Sun affect life on Earth? How will it change our planet in the future? Smith will discuss ways scientists are trying to answer these questions, and how scientists are working to better understand how stars other than own Sun can have dramatic effects on life in their planetary systems.
Then at 1:00 p.m. join NASA-JPL Solar System Ambassador Tony Rice for “Viewing Our Sun Inside and Out with SOHO and STEREO.” Come learn about spacecraft like SOHO (Solar & Heliospheric Observatory) and STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) that help us study our ever-changing Sun, both on its surface and deep in its interior.
While rain may obscure our observation of the Sun, the presentations will happen rain or shine, and the Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Lab will be open, with its astronomers available to talk with visitors about the Sun and current solar scientific exploration.