How is the Weather in Near Earth Space? I Love My Sun

Frequently Asked Questions

What is I Love My Sun? Why I Love My Sun? Why Space Weather?

The International Heliophsical Year (IHY) in 2007 was sponsored by the United Nations on the 50 th anniversary of the space age and driven by international collaborative programs [ http://ihy200.org]. The “Outreach and Education” program is one of the four main components of IHY: Science; Observatory Development; Outreach; History. It was fundamental in achieving one of IHY's primary objectives which is to "demonstrate the beauty, relevance and significance of Space and Earth Science to the world."

Our closest star, the Sun , provides us with life as we know it here on Earth. It is studied in detail by scientists , so that we may better understand its role in the changing weather encountered on Earth as well as in the Near Earth Space, the latter known as space weather.

The Sun itself can also be used as an innovative tool for creating awareness for children that they are part of the global picture. Space technology has become part of our daily lives with human activities in space increasing at a rapid rate. However, our advanced technology is more than ever vulnerable to space weather.

There is a vital need for providing outreach and education activities in space weather field so as to properly develop space weather markets along with fundamental and applied activities. In particular, it is therefore, important that children, the flag carriers of tomorrow become aware about the dynamic relation that exist between the Sun and Earth.( (Tulunay et al. ,The COST Example for Outreach to the General Public: I Love My Sun, J.Space Weather, Space Climate, 3 (2013) A04 DOI: 10.1051/swsc/2013026)

The IHY Outreach and Education Program focuses on:

developing new and exciting outreach programs that provide unique opportunities for the global community;
increasing the visibility and accessibility of existing outreach programs;
developing partnerships between existing programs and activities to broaden their scope and impact;
determining the need for multi-lingual adaptations of educational resources and facilitating their translation.
The Outreach and Education Program for IHY has the following objectives :   - inspiring the next generation of Space and Earth scientists and explorers;  - spreading the knowledge of our solar system and the exciting process of exploration to the people of the world.
“Space weather and Europe – an Education Tool with the Sun (SWEETS)” is a public outreach activity and encompassed some of the activities of the IHY. SWEETS was funded by the European Commission within the 6th Framework Programme (FP6) [http://www.sweets2007.eu/]. SWEETS was supported by COST Actions 724 , 296 and IHY.

Specifically, under the umbrella of IHY and the COST 724 Action the “I Love My Sun” concept was created and initiated by Yurdanur Tulunay of the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. The first I Love My Sun Event was conducted in 2007 and repeated in 2008 as national activities of the SWEETS in Turkey. Since then it has been extended into spatial and temporal dimensions and finalised within the FP7 COST- ESSEM ES0803 Action in 2013 (Tulunay et al. ,The COST Example for Outreach to the General Public: I Love My Sun, J.Space Weather, Space Climate, 3 (2013) A04 DOI: 10.1051/swsc/2013026).

By now, as a further extension the I Love My Sun has been conducted with senior people as well.

What is so Unique About I Love My Sun?

I Love My Sun activity introduces an outreach topic to non- professionals in an enjoyable and relaxing mode in a considerably short length of time.

Can Outcomes of the I Love My Sun be Considered a Generic Action for Other Needs?

The method and the technique of measurement of outcomes are adoptable and open to further developments and generalisations. Therefore, the method and the novel metric developed are not limited to a certain activity, I Love My Sun, but open to generalisation to other activities.

Can Non - Countable Outcomes of I Love My Sun be Measured as Objective as Possible ?

A novel metric like template was also developed to measure the non – countable outcomes of an outreach activity in a manner as objective as possible.

What are the target groups of an I Love My Sun action?

Children of 7-11 age; children with Autism Spectrum Disorder; Senior People;...

How is the I Love My Sun Event Performed?

Briefly, the children are asked to express themselves concerning the Sun via “drawing” and/or “music” and /or “Sun – Earth relations”, “before” and “after a given tutorial-like introductory story telling”.

The contents of the tutorial have been prepared in a way and level to spark interest in natural phenomena such as the “Sun; Sun – Earth relations”. The tutorial is given interactively encouraging the children to ask questions.

* The class of children who can express themselves in drawing and in music be the objects of an I Love My Sun event.

* The I Love My Sun Action has been extended towards the senior people.

What are the impact(s) of an I Love My Sun action?

I Love My Sun event creates awareness towards understanding space weather to shield society.
https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/scientific-structure/cospar-scientifi-roadmaps
http://tinyurl.com/swxrm

Such an outreach activity complements very well with formal educational programs contributing towards the wellness of society.

The success of a school or the individual applications include between two entities. Visit includes the children education in a way so that they are able to understand the nature of the Sun and Earth, as well as the interaction processes which occur between the two entities.

I Love My Sun concept aims to make school children of any class and school (age 6-10) aware of the real Sun and the Near Earth Space environment, other than the popular science fiction culture which appears mostly on other means of media by the drawing or music instruments.

Prior to the school visit there should be some communication with the class teacher. This includes gathering information concerning the school (public/private, location of school (city/ rural), does the school specialize in any specific topics besides drawing, music, science, etc.?. (Tulunay et al. 2013, 3, A04.)

I Love my Sun Event in Drawing

“I love my Sun in Drawing” has been conducted since 2006 at primary schools’ level and the age group of (6-11) both in Turkiye and in Europe. Some typical examples are chosen from the events which took place at the Ankara State primary schools.

FP6 SWEETS / IHY / COST 724 “I LOVE MY SUN” (An outreach Activity in Turkey:  Space Weather and Sun as conceived by School Children of age 7-11)

Some of the typical drawings of the Turkish children from the Başkent University Özel Ayşeabla private school in Ankara.

Some of the "before" and "after" drawings of the Turkish children (children "without" Autism Spectrum Disorder (without ASD)) from the Kütükçü Alibey İlköğretim Okulu primary state school.

Some of the "before" and "after" drawings of the Turkish children (children "with" Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)) from the Kütükçü Alibey İlköğretim Okulu primary state school.

I Love my Sun Event in Music!?

“I love my Sun in Music” was conducted by Kaan Turan who has been motivated towards music since he was six years old. He is one of the gifted young Turkish men who kindly volunteered to take part in “I love my Sun in music” experiment in 2022. (his CV is attached)

Two videos below are his piano compositions in this outreach activity related to “Sun-Earth” relation.

A unique example in Music:

Kaan’s Composition before Tutorial

Kaan’s Composition after Tutorial

He kindly provided a text which briefly interprets his work in ‘I love my Sun’.

Quoting from Kaan:

In the first work I wrote, I intertwined the obscurity of space and its mystery for us, with more atonal approaches, and the deep pleasure and curiosity of the unknown on one side and its disturbingness on the other. I wanted to describe the situation of confronting the pleasure, discomfort and ignorance experienced after every discovery of science about space, with a perspective that centers the individual, using the unexpected outbursts and disturbingness of natural atonality, with a more realistic approach in my own way. But after studying space, I realized that even our dreams of space and our theories are to the extent that our current level of knowledge offers us.

Based on this awareness, in my second work, I examined space and storms with a more serene and imaginative approach. I composed it not from the eyes of someone who was involved in the event, but with a childlike urge to "get under a spell". *

*Turkish Translation:

“İlk yazdığım eserde uzayın bilinmezliğini ve bizler için olan gizemini daha atonal yaklaşımlarla bilinmezliğin bir yandaki derin hazzını,merakını ve öte tarafta duran rahatsız ediciliğini iç içe işledim. Bilimin uzay hakkındaki her buluşundan sonra yaşanan haz, rahatsızlık ve cehaletle yüzleşme durumunu, bireyi merkeze alan bir perspektifle, tabii atonalitenin o beklenmedik çıkışları ve rahatsız ediciliğini de kullanarak, kendimce daha gerçekçi bir yaklaşımla anlatmak istedim. Fakat uzayla ilgili çalışmalardan sonra farkettim ki uzayla ilgili hayallerimiz teorilerimiz bile şu anki bilgi seviyemizin bize sunduğu ölçüde.

Bu farkındalıktan yola çıkarak ikinci eserimde uzayı, fırtınaları daha dingin ve hayalperest bir yaklaşımla irdeledim. Olayın içinde olan biri gözünden değil çocuksu bir "büyüye kapılma" dürtüsü ile besteledim.”

What does the logo stand for?

The logo consists of two dimentions. The main image is the logo for International Heliophysical Year. http://www.ihy2007.org

The second image superimposed on the main image is the twin idols, dating back to the last quarter of the 3rd millennium B.C. and they were found at Alacahöyük, Central Anatolia, exibited at the museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara.