This is my new book for the general public about our sun and its many influences across the solar system. I have already written several books about space weather but not that specifically deal with the sun itself, so this book fills that gap.

We start at the mysterious core of the sun, follow its energies to the surface, then explore how its magnetism creates the beautiful corona, the solar wind and of course all the details of space weather and their nasty effects on humans and our technology.

I have sections that highlight the biggest storms that have upset our technology, and a discussion of the formation and evolution of our sun based on Hubble and Webb images of stars as they are forming. I go into detail about the interior of our sun and how it creates its magnetic fields on the surface. This is the year of the April 2024 total solar eclipse so I cover the shape and origin of the beautful solar corona, too. You will be an expert among your friends when the 2024 eclipse happens.

Unlike all other books, I also have a chapter about how teachers can use this information as part of their standards-based curriculum using the NASA Framework for Heliospheric Education. I even have a section about why our textbooks are typically 10 – 50 years out of date when discussinbg the sun.

For the amateur scientists and hobbyists among you, there is an entire chapter on how to build your own magnetometers for under $50 that will let you monitor how our planet is responsing to solar storms, which will become very common during the next few years.

Basic book details: 239 pages; 115 ilustrations; 6 tables; 70,000 words;

There hasn’t been a book like this in over a decade, so it is crammed with many new discoveries about our sun during the 21st century. Most books for the general public about the sun have actually been written in a style appropriate to college or even graduate students.

My book is designed to be understandable by my grandmother!

Generally, books on science do not sell very well, so this book is definitely written without much expectation for financial return on the effort. Most authors of popular science books make less than $500 in royalties. For those of you that do decide to get a copy, I think it will be a pleasurable experience in learning some remarkable things about our very own star! Please do remember to give a review of the book on the Amazon page. That would be a big help.

Yep…I want to get the e-book version ($5): Link to Amazon.

Yep…I want to get the paperback version ($15): Link to Amazon.

Oh…by the way…. I am a professional astronomer who has been working at NASA doing research, but also education and public outreach for over 20 years. Although I have published a number of books through brick-and-morter publishing houses, I love the immediacy of self-publishing on topics I am excited about, and seeing the result presented to the public within a month or two from the time I get the topic idea. I don’t have to go through the lengthy (month-year) tedium of pitching an idea to several publishers who are generally looking for self-help and murder mysteries. Popular science is NOT a category that publishers want to support, so that leaves me with the self-publishing option.

Other books you might like:

Exploring Space Weather with DIY Magnetometers. ($7). Link to Amazon.

History of Space Weather: From Babylon to the 21st Century. (paperback, $30) (ebook, $5). Link to Amazon.

Solar Storms and their Human Impacts (e-book; $2) Link to Amazon.

The 23rd CycleL Learning to live with a stormy star. – Out of print.