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FREE Solar Sunday

As part of your Big Wild Summer, Mexborough and Swinton Astronomical Society (MSAS) are hosting a free solar event in the courtyard from 11am - 3pm. Reserve charges still apply.

MSAS will be bringing with them telescope equipment that allows you to view the sun safely. This is a great opportunity to hear from the experts how the sun is not just a terrestrial body that warms the planet but  supports all life on earth. You will be amazed to understand how the sun is the nuclear engine of our solar system and you may even see evidence of solar flairs, huge magnetic bursts of energy shooting into space.

Credit:  ESA & NASA/SOHO

A solar flare is an intense burst of radiation coming from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots. Flares are our solar system’s largest explosive events. They are seen as bright areas on the sun and they can last from minutes to hours. We typically see a solar flare by the photons (or light) it releases, at most every wavelength of the spectrum. The primary ways we monitor flares are in x-rays and optical light. Flares are also sites where particles (electrons, protons, and heavier particles) are accelerated. Holly Zell NASA

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