Uploaded November 2021 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
NASA’s PUNCH mission is a suite of small satellites that aim to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, and how the corona accelerates to become the solar wind that fills the solar system. That’s the official description anyway; beyond just the science, PUNCH also has a plan to activate the theme of Ancient & Modern Sun watching to extend heliophysics outreach to underserved and underrepresented populations as well as to the broader public in the American Southwest and beyond. This week we talk with PUNCH’s PI, Dr. Craig DeForest, about how combining high-tech science investigation, amateur observation, and indigenous and historical knowledge gives us a more complete and robust vision of our space weather environment.
Dr. Craig DeForest has studied the Sun, its corona, and the solar wind for over 30 years. Currently, Dr. DeForest leads the Heliophysics division at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder and is the Principal Investigator for NASA’s PUNCH mission, a NASA Small Explorer (SMEX) mission to better understand how the mass and energy of the Sun’s corona become the solar wind that fills the solar system. He is well known for his expertise in solar data analysis and reduction, and is also he Vice-Chair of the American Astronomical Society's Solar Physics Division. In addition to research, Dr. DeForest also has a passion for outreach, and PUNCH’s Outreach Plan includes collaboration with five planetariums and science centers, plus other cross-cultural partners, to activate an ancient and modern Sun-watching theme that will engage historically marginalized populations.
Fiske is one of the largest planetariums in the US, having served CU Boulder & the local community since 1975. We offer a diverse range of fulldome films, live talks, laser and liquid sky shows, as well as public gatherings for astronomical and NASA-related events.
Follow Fiske Planetarium:
Website | https://www.colorado.edu/fiske
Instagram | instagram.com/fiskeplanet
Facebook | facebook.com/teamfiske
NASA’s PUNCH mission is a suite of small satellites that aim to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, and how the corona accelerates to become the solar wind that fills the solar system. That’s the official description anyway; beyond just the science, PUNCH also has a plan to activate the theme of Ancient & Modern Sun watching to extend heliophysics outreach to underserved and underrepresented populations as well as to the broader public in the American Southwest and beyond. This week we talk with PUNCH’s PI, Dr. Craig DeForest, about how combining high-tech science investigation, amateur observation, and indigenous and historical knowledge gives us a more complete and robust vision of our space weather environment.
Dr. Craig DeForest has studied the Sun, its corona, and the solar wind for over 30 years. Currently, Dr. DeForest leads the Heliophysics division at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder and is the Principal Investigator for NASA’s PUNCH mission, a NASA Small Explorer (SMEX) mission to better understand how the mass and energy of the Sun’s corona become the solar wind that fills the solar system. He is well known for his expertise in solar data analysis and reduction, and is also he Vice-Chair of the American Astronomical Society's Solar Physics Division. In addition to research, Dr. DeForest also has a passion for outreach, and PUNCH’s Outreach Plan includes collaboration with five planetariums and science centers, plus other cross-cultural partners, to activate an ancient and modern Sun-watching theme that will engage historically marginalized populations.
Fiske is one of the largest planetariums in the US, having served CU Boulder & the local community since 1975. We offer a diverse range of fulldome films, live talks, laser and liquid sky shows, as well as public gatherings for astronomical and NASA-related events.
Follow Fiske Planetarium:
Website | https://www.colorado.edu/fiske
Instagram | instagram.com/fiskeplanet
Facebook | facebook.com/teamfiske
