Webinar with Hisashi Hayakawa (Nagoya University, Japan)
Thursday, 29th October 2026 (17h CET | 12h EDT)
Please click on this Link for the Zoom Session
Meeting ID: 852 6990 9362
Password: 459004
Analyses of extreme solar storms are of particular importance for solar physics and the mitigation of space-weather hazards. In the observational history, the Carrington event of 1859 is regarded as a benchmark, not only in terms of its magnitude but also in terms of its significance within their history. Despite the qualitative significance, it has been proven challenging to quantify this extreme solar storm, as it occurred almost a century before the onset of the space age and thus has challenged quantitative magnitude assessments for a long time. However, recent archival (and proxy) investigations have allowed us to access contemporary analogue measurements thereby enabling a reassessment and revision of the magnitudes of the solar flare, transit time of the perturbations in the solar wind, solar particle storm, geomagnetic storm, and equatorward extension of the auroral oval. This presentation will provide a comprehensive review of their recent magnitude reassessments and contextualise the Carrington storm within the broader framework of extreme solar-terrestrial storms throughout history.
The International Space Science Institute (ISSI) invites applications for a part time (30%) position of
Director of Heliophysics or Planetary Science
starting on October 1, 2026. The appointee will be a member of the Directorate of ISSI.
When the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) hosted its very first workshop in 1995, cross-disciplinary international collaboration was far less commonplace. Yet, heliospheric science was already thriving, and among the participants was a young scientist named Eberhard Möbius. Nearly three decades later, as ISSI hosts the workshop “Multi-Spacecraft Observations and their Importance for Understanding Particle Dynamics in the Inner Heliosphere”, Möbius is back — this time alongside Dr Emma Davies, a first-time ISSI participant representing the next generation of space scientists.
Their shared presence offers a natural bridge between the past and the future of space science. It is a living example of how careers, ideas, and collaborations evolve shaped by the ISSI ecosystem.
Bern’s Astronomy on Tap event sponsored for the first time by ISSI lit up the Stellwerk on November 18, 2025, and not just because nearly 100 people packed into the venue beneath the Grosse Schanze. With every seat filled and glasses raised, the atmosphere was primed for an evening where cutting-edge space science met tasty drinks and great company.
Thirty years ago, the dream of a visionary scientist came true. A dream of a very special place where science was the focus, a welcoming international institute where the only language spoken was science, a centre of excellence uniting the scientific community under the same big sky that humanity has looked up to for centuries.
The International Space Science Institute (ISSI) in Bern, Switzerland, invites applications for a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the space sciences, including Astrophysics & Cosmology, Heliophysics and Plasma, and Planetary Sciences for a two-year period, ideally starting in January 2025, to be negotiated. The successful candidate should have received a Ph.D. within the last five year in the fields related to the space sciences of Astrophysics & Cosmology, Heliophysics and Plasma, and Planetary Sciences.
