Advances in Solar Research at Eclipses From Ground and From Space : Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Advances in Solar Research at Eclipses From Ground and From Space Bucharest, Romania 9–20 August, 1999

The aim of this Advanced Study Institute was to give an account on the most recent results obtained in solar research. Bucharest was chosen to host it, because the capital city of Romania was located right in the middle of the totality path of the last eclipse of the millennium, on 11th August 1999; furthermore the phenomenon was close to reach there its longest duration: 2m 23s. Such a total eclipse is not only a very spectacular event which draws the crowds: to astronomers, solar eclipses still offer the best conditions for observing the lower part of the corona. The Sun plays a crucial role in our very existence. It was responsible for the formation of the Earth, and rendered this planet fit to host living beings, providing the right amount of heat, and this for a long enough span of time. Quite understandably, it has always been a prime target of human curiosity, and more recently one of scientific investigation. During the last century, it was realized that the Sun is a star like billions of others; we learned since that it draws its energy from the nuclear fusion of hydrogen, and we are now able to estimate its age and life expectancy. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Eclipses from the Standpoint of Celestial Mechanics....Pages 1-22 The Williams College Expedition to Ramnicu Valcea....Pages 23-30 Heliospheric Extent of the Coronal Phenomena....Pages 31-47 The Solar Corona: White Light Polarization and Modelling of the Large Scale Electron Density Distribution....Pages 49-66 Observing the Solar Magnetic Field....Pages 67-83 Solar Activity....Pages 85-104 New Views of Active Regions, Flares and CME’s from Space....Pages 105-147 Modeling the Evolution of Solar Magnetic Fields....Pages 149-170 Non-LTE Radiation Processes: Application to the Solar Corona....Pages 171-200 Models of the Solar Atmosphere....Pages 201-220 Inversion of Line Profiles and Solar Fine Structures....Pages 221-244 Sounding the Solar Interior....Pages 245-264 What we Know about the Solar Interior....Pages 265-288 Theory of Solar Luminosity Variations....Pages 289-305 Back Matter....Pages 307-310 The space missions Yohkoh, SOHO and TRACE, together with complementary ground-based instrumentation, have in recent years given usa wealth of new results on the Sun, which are not readily available or digestible for the non-specialist. They are presented here in an organised, tutorial fashion by leading astrophysicists who gathered to observe the total eclipse of 11 August 1999 in Bucharest. Subjects covered range from the deep solar interior to the extended corona, with an emphasis on the diagnostic and on the physical interpretation of the spectacular phenomena represented by solar activity. Readership: Primarily graduate students. Senior scientists will appreciate the comprehensive update of solar physics. Amateur astronomers having an adequate knowledge of physics will also enjoy the book.