SCOSTEP in Locarno: successful workshop on the Sun

The sixth SCOSTEP workshop, which lasted two days and ended with a public lecture by Professor Francesco Berrilli of the Tor Vergata University of Rome, concluded on Friday, 29 November, in Locarno.

At Liceo Cantonale Aula Magna in Locarno, 46 scientists from prominent Swiss research centres and the European Space Agency (ESA) presented their studies and findings in solar physics. Their work covered a range of topics, including numerical models and predictions of the most violent phenomena that shake our star and can also influence human activities.

The workshop, organised in Locarno by Istituto ricerche solari Aldo e Cele Daccò (IRSOL), showcases the excellence of Swiss solar research at the international level, in which IRSOL plays a leading role thanks to its state-of-the-art instrumentation and advanced theoretical research groups. The research conducted is not distant or abstract; it is essential for understanding our star, the primary energy source for our planet and all of human civilisation. However, the Sun can also present potential dangers, such as geomagnetic storms, which pose risks that society unfortunately tends to overlook.