1859 was an explosive year for science and philosophy. Not only did Charles Darwin publish The Origin of Species and John Stuart Mill publish the classic On Liberty, one of the largest solar flares on record hit the Earth and wreaked havoc all over the place, creating a revolution of its own. You may take it for granted, but the sun, that fiery ball of light and heat up in the sky, is by far the greatest center of activity in our solar system; that's kind of why it's called the solar system... Today's documentary explores the science of the sun, and lays out the current understanding of this celestial powerhouse where everything that happens takes place at unbelievably large scales.If you've ever wondered why the sun can burn so much energy for billions of years, or why it has millions of magnetic poles, or how it can affect telecommunications here on Earth, or how it produces auroras near the poles of our planet, or why the sun seems to be hotter on its surface than closer to its core, or how sun quakes and tsunamis are produced, then you should stick around and watch this video.
And if you want to understand more about auroras and the 1859 solar storm, check out this previous entry.
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