Solar, Heliospheric, and INterplanetary Environment (SHINE)

The Solar, Heliospheric, and Interplanetary Environment (SHINE) program is a broad-based research initiative supporting enhanced understanding of and predictive capabilities for the processes by which energy in the form of magnetic fields and particles are produced by the Sun and/or accelerated in interplanetary space and on the mechanisms by which these fields and particles are transported to the Earth through the inner heliosphere. SHINE research focuses upon the connections between eruptive events and magnetic phenomena on the Sun and the corresponding solar wind structures in the inner heliosphere. The program fosters research on those processes by which magnetic fields and particles produced by the Sun permeate interplanetary space and on the mechanisms by which these fields and particles are transported to geospace through the inner heliosphere. The goal of SHINE research is to enhance both physical understanding and predictive capabilities for solar driven geoeffective events. SHINE is complementary to, but distinct from, the National Space Weather Program initiatives, emphasizing basic research into solar and heliospheric processes.