Our Explosive Sun

The Sun, which is our own star at the center of the Solar System, gives rise to all life on Earth and is the driver of photosynthesis in plants and the source of all food and energy for living things. As seen with the naked eye, the Sun appears as a static and quiet yellow disk in the sky. However, it is a stormy and ever-changing star that contributes much more than light and heat. For example, it is the source of the beautiful northern lights and can affect our technology-based society in many ways. Our Explosive Sun: A Visual Feast of our Source of Light and Life is a great introduction to the Sun for general readers as well as scientists who are not solar physicists. The book presents the basic properties of the Sun, describes how it has fascinated humans throughout history, and shows how it influences our current technologies. The book includes a large number of illustrations and video materials for SpringerExtras, along with a PowerPoint presentation that provides a useful resource for teachers and lectures.

Pal Brekke is a Norwegian solar physicist with a doctorate from the University of Oslo in astrophysics and is now a senior advisor for the Norwegian Space Centre . He has worked with state-of-art space-based solar telescopes since 1985 and has published over 40 peer review articles, 70 proceeding papers, and more than 30 popular science articles. Pal wrote much of this material while working at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for 6 years, as the Deputy Project Scientist for the SOHO mission. He also has written articles for CNN, USA Today, BBC, and DerSpiegel). Brekke has been the PR "ambassador" for SOHO, traveling around the world to give lectures about the Sun. He is the recipient of the Fulbright Fellowship, ESA's Exceptional Achievement Award, and the Laurels for Team Achievements from the International Academy for Astronautics.