Extensive interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observations at 327 MHz obtained between 1983 and 2009 clearly show a steady and significant drop in the turbulence levels in the entire inner heliosphere starting from around ∼1995. We believe that this large‐scale IPS signature, in the inner heliosphere, coupled with the fact that solar polar fields have also been declining since ∼1995, provide a consistent result showing that the buildup to the deepest minimum in 100 years actually began more than a decade earlier.

We present a detailed multi-wavelength study of observations from X-ray, near-infrared to centimeter wavelengths to probe the star formation processes in the S237 region. Multi-wavelength images trace an almost sphere-like shell morphology of the region, which is filled with the 0.5-2 keV X-ray emission. The region contains two distinct environments -a bell-shaped cavity-like structure containing the peak of 1.4 GHz emission at center, and elongated filamentary features without any radio detection at edges of the sphere-like shell -where Herschel clumps are detected. Using the 1.4 GHz continuum and 12 CO line data, the S237 region is found to be excited by a radio spectral type of B0.5V star and is associated with an expanding Hii region. The photoionized gas appears to be responsible for the origin of the bell-shaped structure. The majority of molecular gas is distributed toward a massive Herschel clump (M clump ∼260 M ), which contains the filamentary features and has a noticeable velocity gradient. The photometric analysis traces the clusters of young stellar objects (YSOs) mainly toward the bell-shaped structure and the filamentary features. Considering the lower dynamical age of the H ii region (i.e. 0.2-0.8 Myr), these clusters are unlikely to be formed by the expansion of the H ii region. Our results also show the existence of a cluster of YSOs and a massive clump at the intersection of filamentary features, indicating that the collisions of these features may have triggered cluster formation, similar to those found in Serpens South region.

Context. It is well known that the polarity of the Sun's magnetic field reverses or flips around the maximum of each 11 year solar cycle. This is commonly known as polar field reversal and plays a key role in deciding the polar field strength at the end of a cycle, which is crucial for the prediction of the upcoming cycle. Aims. To investigate solar polar fields during cycle 24, using measurements of solar magnetic fields in the latitude range 55 • -90 • and 78 • -90 • , to report a prolonged and unusual hemispheric asymmetry in the polar field reversal pattern in solar cycle 24. Methods. This study was carried out using medium resolution line-of-sight synoptic magnetograms from the magnetic database of the National Solar Observatory at Kitt Peak (NSO/KP), USA for the period between February 1975 and October 2017, covering solar cycles 21 -24 and high-resolution line-of-sight synoptic magnetograms from the Michaelson Doppler Imager instrument onboard the Solar Heliospheric Observatory. Synoptic magnetograms using radial measurements from the Heliospheric Magnetic Imager instrument onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory, covering solar cycle 23 and 24, were also used. Results. We show that the Southern solar hemisphere unambiguously reversed polarity in mid-2013 while the reversal in the field in the Northern solar hemisphere started as early as June 2012, was followed by a sustained period of near-zero field strength lasting until the end of 2014, after which the field began to show a clear rise from its near-zero value. While this study compliments a similar study carried out using microwave brightness measurements (Gopalswamy et al. 2016) which claimed that the field reversal process in cycle 24 was completed by the end of 2015, our results show that the field reversal in cycle 24 was completed earlier i.e. in late 2014. Signatures of this unusual field reversal pattern were also clearly identifiable in the solar wind, using our observations of interplanetary scintillation at 327 MHz which supported our magnetic field observations and confirmed that the field reversal process was completed at the end of 2014.

The Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM) payload on board Chandrayaan-2 provides disk-integrated solar spectra in the 1–15 keV energy range with an energy resolution of 180 eV (at 5.9 keV) and a cadence of 1 s. During the period from 2019 September to 2020 May, covering the minimum of Solar Cycle 24, it observed nine B-class flares ranging from B1.3 to B4.5. Using time-resolved spectroscopic analysis during these flares, we examined the evolution of temperature, emission measure, and absolute elemental abundances of four elements–Mg, Al, Si, and S. These are the first measurements of absolute abundances during such small flares and this study offers a unique insight into the evolution of absolute abundances as the flares evolve. Our results demonstrate that the abundances of these four elements decrease toward their photospheric values during the peak phase of the flares. During the decay phase, the abundances are observed to quickly return to their preflare coronal values. The depletion of elemental abundances during the flares is consistent with the standard flare model, suggesting the injection of fresh material into coronal loops as a result of chromospheric evaporation. To explain the quick recovery of the so-called coronal “First Ionization Potential bias” we propose two scenarios based on the Ponderomotive force model.

We have examined polar magnetic fields for the last three solar cycles, viz. Cycles 21, 22, and 23 using NSO/Kitt Peak synoptic magnetograms. In addition, we have used SOHO/MDI magnetograms to derive the polar fields during Cycle 23. Both Kitt Peak and MDI data at high latitudes (78°-90°) in both solar hemispheres show a significant drop in the absolute value of polar fields from the late declining phase of the Solar Cycle 22 to the maximum of the Solar Cycle 23. We find that long-term changes in the absolute value of the polar field, in Cycle 23, are well correlated with changes in meridional-flow speeds that have been reported recently. We discuss the implication of this in influencing the extremely prolonged minimum experienced at the start of the current Cycle 24 and in forecasting the behavior of future solar cycles.

We present a multi-wavelength study to probe the star formation (SF) processes on a larger scale (∼1• .05 × 0 • .56) around the S242 site. The S242 molecular cloud is depicted in a velocity range from −3.25 to 4.55 km s −1 and has spatially elongated appearance. Based on the virial analysis, the cloud is prone to gravitational collapse. The cloud harbors an elongated filamentary structure (EFS; length ∼25 pc) evident in the Herschel column density map and the EFS has an observed mass per unit length of ∼200 M pc −1 exceeding the critical value of ∼16 M pc −1 (at T = 10 K). The EFS contains a chain of Herschel clumps (M clump ∼150 to 1020 M ), revealing the evidence of fragmentation along its length. The most massive clumps are observed at both the EFS ends, while the S242 H ii region is located at one EFS end. Based on the radio continuum maps at 1.28 and 1.4 GHz, the S242 H ii region is ionized by a B0.5V-B0V type star and has a dynamical age of ∼0.5 Myr. The photometric 1-5 µm data analysis of point-like sources traces young stellar objects (YSOs) toward the EFS and the clusters of YSOs are exclusively found at both the EFS ends, revealing the SF activities. Considering the spatial presence of massive clumps and YSO clusters at both the EFS ends, the observed results are consistent with the prediction of a SF scenario of the end-dominated collapse driven by the higher accelerations of gas.

We report first results from an ongoing program of combining visibilities from the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (GMRT) and the Nancay Radio Heliograph (NRH) to produce composite snapshot images of the sun at meter wavelengths. We describe the data processing, including a specific multi-scale CLEAN algorithm. We present results of a) simulations for two models of the sun at 327 MHz, with differing complexity b) observations of a complex noise storm on the sun at 327 MHz on Aug. 27, 2002. Our results illustrate the capacity of this method to produce high dynamic range snapshot images when the solar corona has structures with scales ranging from the image resolution of 49 to the size of the whole sun. We emphasize that snapshot images of a complex object such as the sun, obtained by combining data from both instruments, are far better than images from either instrument alone, because their uv-coverages are very complementary.

We report observations of a steady 20 year decline of solar photospheric fields at latitudes ≥45° starting from ∼1995. This prolonged and continuing decline, combined with the fact that cycle 24 is already past its peak, implies that magnetic fields are likely to continue to decline until ∼2020, the expected minimum of the ongoing solar cycle 24. In addition, interplanetary scintillation observations of the inner heliosphere for the period 1983–2013 and in the distance range 0.2–0.8 AU have also shown a similar and steady decline in solar wind microturbulence levels, in sync with the declining photospheric fields. Using the correlation between the polar field and heliospheric magnetic field (HMF) at solar minimum, we have estimated the value of the HMF in 2020 to be 3.9 (±0.6) nT and a floor value of the HMF of ∼3.2 (±0.4) nT. Given this floor value for the HMF, our analysis suggests that the estimated peak sunspot number for solar cycle 25 is likely to be 62 (±12).