How scientists around the world track the solar cycle
Every morning, astronomer Steve Padilla takes a short walk from his home to the base of a tower that soars 150 feet above the ground. Tucked in the San Gabriel Mountains, about an hour’s drive north from Los Angeles, the Mount Wilson Observatory has long been a home for space science—it’s Padilla’s home too, one of the perks to his work as Mount Wilson’s sun observer. Mount Wilson has several solar system sentinels; the telescope perched at the top of this tower keeps constant watch on the sun. Observers study the sun closely, so we can better understand the life and activity of our star.
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