Solar Observatory Reflects Well On Campus

As one of the world’s leading institutions in solar research, CU-Boulder was selected this fall to serve as the headquarters of the National Solar Observatory.

Bringing unrivaled opportunities for students and an estimated 70 scientists, engineers and staff with a payroll totaling around $20 million, the observatory is the nation’s leading scientific research program in ground-based solar astronomy.

To be located on east campus, the observatory will provide scientists access to the world’s largest collection of solar telescopes and other instruments to observe the sun, a driver of Earth’s climate and weather. Observatory scientists will conduct research ranging from space weather prediction to the environments of extra-solar planets.

In related news, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which launched last year and carried $32 million worth of CU instruments, is revealing that energy from solar flares is stronger than previously thought. This energy can affect Earth-orbiting communication and navigation satellites. The new information will help better predict solar events and their effects on these satellites.

In other space news, a $670 million NASA orbiting mission to probe the past climate of Mars, led by professor Bruce Jakosky of geological sciences, reached a major milestone in the summer when it successfully completed its Mission Critical Design Review by the space agency. This means the team is ready for fabrication, assembly and testing of all of its mission elements for a November 2013 launch.

Students and faculty also played a key role in NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter that launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center in August. Their computer models and research will play an important role in data analysis when Juno reaches its orbit around Jupiter in five years.