Space Weather Forecast Like meteorologists who check temperatures, winds, and pressure to predict the weather on Earth, scientists monitor the Sun and our space environment to forecast the weather in space. Using spacecraft like SOHO, Earth-based telescopes, and old-fashioned hand sketches of the Sun, scientists search the surface of the Sun for signs of flares and CMEs. They monitor the solar wind as it blows toward Earth to see if it is carrying foul weather, and they measure the energy flowing into Earth’s upper atmosphere and the distortion of magnetic fields near the ground. From these bits of information, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center forecasts whether our space weather will be mild or wild. Utilizing a fleet of spacecraft, scientists in dozens of countries observe the Sun, the solar wind, the near-Earth space environment, as well as the aurora. Ground-based telescopes, radar and supercomputers are used alongside these spacecraft to provide a picture of current and future space weather conditions. We are learning what it means to truly live within the atmosphere of the Sun.