Learn how the NSF's National Solar Observatory (NSO) uses its solar observatories to learn about the Sun and how it influences Earth.

The National Solar Observatory is a public research institute headquartered in Boulder, Colorado with a satellite facility in Maui, Hawaiʻi. The mission of NSO is to advance our understanding of the Sun, both as a star and as a major influence for life on Earth.

The National Solar Observatory (NSO) is the national center for ground-based solar physics in the United States (www.nso.edu) and is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation Division of Astronomical Sciences.

The National Solar Observatory (NSO) is the national center for ground-based solar physics in the United States (www.nso.edu) and is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation Division of Astronomical Sciences.

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope is a four-meter solar telescope on the island of Maui, Hawai’i. It’s currently the largest solar telescope in the world.

NSO builds and operates solar telescopes on behalf of the NSF including Inouye Solar Telescope and NSO's Integrated Synoptic Program (NISP).

The April 8, 2024 eclipse will be a total solar eclipse. During a total solar eclipse, the Moon moves between the Earth and Sun completely obscuring the Sun. All of the United States will experience a partial solar eclipse.

The April 8, 2024 eclipse will be a total solar eclipse. During a total solar eclipse, the Moon moves between the Earth and Sun completely obscuring the Sun. All of the United States will experience a partial solar eclipse.

At the National Solar Observatory, we observe the Sun each day as if it were a star. We utilize the Integrated Sunlight Spectrometer (ISS) associated with the SOLIS instrument to record very high quality spectra of the Sun at key wavelengths.

The National Solar Observatory (NSO) is the national center for ground-based solar physics in the United States (www.nso.edu) and is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation Division of Astronomical Sciences.