The sun can seem like a friendly celestial body. It is the source of summer, crops, and basically all life on Earth. But the sun has a dark side too. Just as sun decided when life on Earth could begin, it will also decide when life on Earth will definitely end.

Dr. Michelle Thaller speaks with Dr. C. Alex Young, Associate Director for Science in the Heliophysics Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. We'll hear about the impressive fleet of spacecraft NASA uses to monitor the sun, including the upcoming Solar Probe Plus, an exciting new mission to delve closer to our star than ever before.

Photo: Coronal mass ejection courtesy of NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/sdo/potw603-brief-outburst/index.html

Learn more about Orbital Path with Michelle Thaller at orbital.prx.org.

Episode 10: Done in the Sun

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