Magnetic coupling in the solar system

Abstract

On 10 October 2008, UK solar, solar-terrestrial and planetary scientists hosted a meeting at the RAS on the theme of Magnetic coupling in the solar system - from the Sun into the This meeting was proposed in order to stimulate discussion on how the variations of the solar magnetic field influence other solar system bodies such as comets, planets (including our own) and their moons. Energy from within the convection zone is transferred through magnetic coupling into the corona and the heliosphere beyond on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales that are related to the different types of magnetic field emergence at the solar surface. Thus in order to understand the global heliospheric magnetic field and its influence throughout the solar system, we have to understand the role that flux emergence on all scales plays in structuring in the global field and the associated solar wind. With the successful launch of two major new space-based missions, Hinode and STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory), scientists are well placed to study the emergence of the Sun's magnetic field and track it into the heliosphere. © 2009 Royal Astronomical Society.