The Sun, our star, is just waking up from a quiet phase of its eleven year activity cycle. We’ve had several X-class solar flares recently. Many solar space observatories have been watching the Sun over the past few decades: SoHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory), Hinode and the Solar Dynamics Observatory. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 and ESA’s Solar Orbiter was launched in February 2020. These satellites have travelled closer to the Sun than ever before, to study the solar wind and the source regions on the Sun. This talk will review what we have learnt about our dynamic Sun, in particular, what we know about sunspots, solar active regions, flares (huge explosions), the solar wind and how the Sun affects the Earth's environment (space weather).

Dr Helen Mason is solar scientist at the University of Cambridge. Her field of research is solar physics, in particular the ultraviolet and X-ray spectrum of the Sun. She has worked on many joint UK, NASA, ESA and Japanese space projects including SoHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory), Hinode, SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory) and IRIS. Recent solar space observations have completely changed our view of the Sun.  NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and ESA’s Solar Orbiter are travelling closer to the Sun than ever before to improve our understanding of the Sun, solar wind and its interaction with the Earth’s environment.

Helen has always been keen to convey her passion for solar physics to the public and to students. She has given many public lectures and worked closely with schools. She has participated in several radio and TV programmes, for example BBC4’s 'Seven Ages of Starlight' and BBC R4’s ‘In Our Time – Solar Wind’ (2020).

Helen works closely with teachers and students throughout the UK, most recently leading the project SunSpaceArt.org, funded by STFC, which brings scientists and artists together to run school STEAM (STEM + Arts) workshops. In 2014, Helen was awarded an OBE for her services to Higher Education and to Women in Science, Engineering and Technology.  In 2018, she was awarded the Royal Astronomical Society’s Annie Maunder Medal for Outreach. In 2020, the SunSpaceArt team won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Space Achievement in Education and Outreach.