Heating us up

The sun – the source of all life on earth, and also its greatest threat: a paradox that is a constant both in our planetary system and in Astrid Veronig’s research. The astrophysicist is primarily concerned with the sun’s corona. This outer layer of the solar atmosphere is millions of degrees hot. Eruptions triggered there can severely impact our space weather, and Veronig, the head of the University of Graz Kanzelhöhe Observatory for Solar and Environmental Research, wants to achieve greater accuracy in predicting these effects.