Heliophysics

Heliophysics

Heliophysics is a word created by NASA administrators to encompass the study of the system composed of the Sun's heliosphere and the objects that interact with it -- most notably, but not limited to, plantary atmospheres and magnetospheres, the solar corona, and the interstellar medium. Heliophysics combines several other disciplines, including several branches of space physics, plasma physics, and solar physics. Heliophysics is closely tied to the study of space weather and the phenomena that affect it.

Heliophysics is a division within NASA's Science Mission Directorate, including Earth, Heliophysics, Planets, and Astrophysics. The word was created to simplify the name of the "Sun Solar System Connections" Division (and before that, the "Sun-Earth Connections" Division). There is some controversy behind the naming of this division, since the base-word "Helio" means sun. The word "Heliophysics" literally means "Physics of the Sun", which, therefore, does not adequately describe the majority of the science that is conducted within the Heliophysics division. Further, NASA has dramatically increased the number of solar and heliospheric satellite missions, while decreasing the number of upper atmospheric missions. This, in combination with the renaming of the division, has created some feelings of alienation by researchers within the division.


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