Book a FREE ticket here - Registration closes at 3pm on the day
The James Dungey Lecture
Solar flares - how are they triggered and where does the energy go?
Prof Sarah Matthews (UCL)
The magnetic field of the corona stores the energy that is released via magnetic reconnection during solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Flares with CMEs are often described by the ‘standard’ eruptive flare (CSHKP) model and this offers a conceptual framework in which to investigate the global characteristics of the energy release and transport in the context of the magnetic field configuration. The low plasma beta environment of the corona means the magnetic field plays a central role in the energy transport, and different magnetic field configurations can lead to a variety of outcomes in terms of the evolution of the energy release, the efficiency of the energy transport mechanisms and the locations where the energy is deposited. Despite the often rather good agreement between observations and the ‘standard’ model, many open questions remain particularly in respect to the triggering of the energy release and the conditions that lead to preferential energy deposition in some locations. In this talk I will discuss how multi-wavelength spectroscopy used in tandem with magnetic field information can help shed light on some of these open questions.
The James Dungey Lecture is given annually by a distinguished and eloquent speaker on a suitable topic in geophysics (including solar physics, solar-terrestrial physics or planetary sciences). The speaker may be based in the UK or overseas. The lecture is delivered at an Ordinary (A&G) meeting of the RAS
RAS Awards 2021 - Announcement of Winners
RAS President Prof. Emma Bunce will announce the winners of the 2021 RAS Awards at the start of this meeting. She will reveal this year's winners of the Gold Medals for Astronomy and Geophysics (the Society's highest honours), the Herschel, Eddington, Chapman, Price, Maunder and Moore Medals, alongside our other awards, lectureships and honorary fellowships. Make sure you tune in on time to be the first to hear who we are honouring in 2021.
Book a FREE ticket here - Registration closes at 3pm on the day