International Heliophysical Year

1. Introduction     2. Goals ?     3. Organization chart

 Why International Heliophysical Year ?
The historical perspective

    First International Polar Year - 1882
  • January 1875 at the Academy of Sciences in Vienna Carl Weyprecht suggested a coordinated study of the north polar region
  • Polar meteorological and magnetic observations commenced on Aug 1, 1882 and concluded Sep 1, 1883
    Second International Polar Year - 1932
  • Polar meteorological and magnetic observations to be made in 1932-1933, fifty years after the first IPY
  • Scientific activities were significantly limited by the world-wide economic depression
    International Geophysical Year - 1957
  • involved about 60,000 scientists from 66 nations
  • simultaneous, global observations on Earth and in space

The logical next step is to extend global studies into the Heliosphere to incorporate the drivers of Geophysical change into the global system-

The International Heliophysical Year

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Goals of
the International Heliophysical Year

  1. Scientific:
    • To obtain a coordinated set of observations to study at the largest scale the solar generated events which affect life and climate on the Earth
    • Global study of the Sun-heliosphere system outward to the heliopause to understand the external, and historic drivers of geophysical change
  2. Social and economical
    • To foster international scientific cooperation in the study of Heliophysical phenomena now and in the future
    • To incorporate developing countries in the exploration of space
    • To raise the technical and scientific level in the area of space exploration
  3. Educational
    • To communicate the basic science and the unique scientific results of the IHY to the interested scientific community and to the general pu

Organizations which joined:

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Organization chart


Click on org chart for a larger version. (27 kb GIF image)

Science working Groups coordinate analysis and modeling efforts, and are responsible for planning IHY meetings, symposia and workshops through the three major thrusts:

  1. Scientific Campaigns: oversees the IHY coordinated observing campaigns. The team reviews proposals for IHY campaigns, coordinates the input from the observatory representatives, and maintains the IHY observing and campaign schedule.
  2. Scientific Meetings and Publications: arranges for communication of scientific results to broader science community.
  3. Public Outreach: responsible for increasing public awareness of IHY activities. This committee produces newsletters, maintains the website(s), writes articles, coordinates media affairs, and develops outreach products.

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