Something new under the quiet sun

• Published in: Physics Today
• Main Author: Pomerantz, Martin A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: AIP Publishing 1964
• Subjects: General Physics and Astronomy; Zero Point; International Polar Year
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3051171; https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/article-pdf/17/10/19/8260807/19_1_online.pdf

This article constitutes a first progress report on United States participation in the International Years of the Quiet Sun, a two-year, world-wide scientific enterprise, involving sixty-nine nations, that started on January 1, 1964. Before summarizing the current state of affairs, let us first view IQSY in historical perspective, and outline its aims and objectives. The immediate predecessor of IQSY in the evolution of international scientific programs, for which the zero point in time was 1882 (First International Polar Year), was the widely heralded International Geophysical Year (1957–1958).