At the Gate of the Sun

Petrovay, Kristof

The largest part of the radiating - and therefore, for us, directly observable - matter in the Universe takes the form of stars. Even when using the best telescopes, the majority of these stars appear only as dim spots of light. Therefore, we are very fortunate to have a star almost within arm's reach for us to study: the Sun. The Sun allows us to observe the processes that also take place on much more distant celestial bodies. As such, the Sun opens a gate to the human intellect: on the one hand, toward distant places and different aeons, and on the other hand, toward a better understanding of the principles of physics that can also be put to use on Earth. The aim of this lecture is to introduce the immense diversity of the forms of behaviour that the magnetised plasma constituting the Sun - and at the same time the majority of the visible Universe - can take.

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