With its fiery rains, speedy magnetic flips and an atmosphere that defies the laws of physics – our home star is as weird as it gets
BILLIONS and billions of stars fill our galaxy. Many burn bright, destined to become supernovae, while others are dim burnouts. They come alone and in pairs; with or without planetary companions. We have searched the far reaches of the universe in the hope of understanding the stars, but ultimately everything we know is based on our sole reference point, the sun. Yet our home star remains plenty mysterious.
"It's expected that it's understood, because it's right there, it's so close and dominant in the sky," says astrophysicist Eamon Scullion from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. "How are we going to understand any other aspect of space if we can't get to grips with the nearest star?"
While we may have to go back to ...
To continue reading this article, subscribe to receive access to all of newscientist.com, including 20 years of archive content.
