Aug 11, 2026 · 1h 3m
Solar storms expose the Sun’s hidden reach
Super Solar Storms with Lika Guhathakurta
The Sun’s cycles and solar wind shape a protective bubble around Earth while creating serious risks for satellites and space infrastructure.
- 1Helioseismology reveals the Sun’s interior through vibrations, pressure waves, and near-continuous observations.
- 2The heliosphere shields the solar system from cosmic radiation, but its boundary is irregular and extends far beyond the planets.
- 3Extreme solar storms can disrupt satellites, making international monitoring and future solar missions essential.
Don't miss
Lika connects a memorable auroral display with the death of her colleague Jennifer Gannon, revealing the personal meaning behind space-weather research.
The brief
Heliophysicist Madhulika “Lika” Guhathakurta treats the Sun as a nearby stellar laboratory, explaining how its vibrations reveal an interior no spacecraft can directly see.
The Sun loses mass through fusion and solar wind, while its overlapping pressure waves create a kind of stellar sound that can be measured rather than heard in space.
Its solar wind inflates the heliosphere, a vast and irregular bubble that helps shield the solar system from cosmic radiation while extending beyond the planets.
Parker Solar Probe samples pristine solar wind near the corona, using Venus to shed orbital momentum and approach the Sun more closely than previous missions.
Solar cycles drive sunspots, auroras, and coronal mass ejections; the same magnetic activity that creates spectacular skies can damage satellites and disrupt space systems.
Lika’s story of an aurora linked to colleague Jennifer Gannon’s death gives the episode’s space-weather science an unusually personal dimension.
Featuring
Madhulika Guhathakurta
Chuck Nice
Parker Solar Probe
National Solar Observatory
EarthBooks & mentions
Listen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.