Scientists track sunspots that are part of active regions, which often produce large explosions on the sun such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Each time an active region appears it is assigned a number. Active regions that have
Space is not as empty as you think! While the name suggests that space is empty, that is far from true. Matter released by our sun and space weather events fills the area between our planet and surrounding bodies, and is
Active region 1944 erupted on 7 January 2014 with an X-class X-ray solar flare accompanied by a coronal mass ejection (CME). The CME is travelling towards Earth and is estimated to impact the Earth's magnetic field around 9:00 UT on
The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) bid farewell to a team of scientists and engineers as they departed on the SA Agulhas II for Antarctica on 28 November 2013. The 53rd Antarctic expedition marks a milestone for the Space
The Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) is set to make history with the launch of South Africa's first CubeSat, a type of nano-satellite, ZACUBE-1. The launch is set for 21 November 2013 at 09:10:11 (South African Time), atop an RS-2OB
As we go about our everyday lives here on Earth, seldom do we think about our nearest star the Sun. Life on Earth would not exist without it and yet we take it for granted each day. In the next
Participation in international conferences is essential for establishing a peer review culture of the research undertaken at SANSA. The impact is seen through the number of ISI publications that result from various collaborative research projects. In addition, it allows scientists
Just as there is weather on Earth, so too is there weather in space, and it can interfere with and cause damage to satellites which we rely on for communications, navigation, resource management and the safety and security of our
A new High Frequency Digital Radar will be unveiled at the final World Space Week event for SANSA this year at a ceremony on 9 October 2013 in Hermanus, Western Cape. The radar system forms part of the Super Dual
Eager to learn and explore the exciting world of space physics, 16 students from universities around South Africa attended the annual SANSA Space Science Winter School in Hermanus from 1-5 July, 2013. The Winter School aims to introduce the field