The Sun’s Surface and Subsurface: Investigating Shape and Irradiance: 599 (Lecture Notes in Physics, 599) 2003rd Edition

“This relatively compact book provides a comprehensive review of the basic principles, methodology, and tools for studying the solar variability. The main focus is on measurements and interpretation of the solar properties rather than on theory. It provides both an excellent introduction to the field and an exciting review of the recent advances in solar observations from the ground and space. […] The Sun’s Surface and Subsurface is very well written and nicely illustrated. It should be of interest to a broad cross-section of scientists working in solar and solar-terrestrial physics, space weather, and Earth’s climate, and it should be particularly useful to advanced students and young researchers.” (EOS 85/3, 2004)

Composed of a set of lectures and tutorial reviews, this book stems from a summer school devoted to the gravitational aspects of the sun and their geophysical consequences. Contribitions elaborate on the gravitational distortions of the sun which can be used to gain some knowledge of the sun’s interior and surface phenomena but which also influences the sun’s irradience and thus ultimately the earth’s climate. Last but not least, it is shown that these small distortions constitute a formidable challenge to solar astrometry, and the final part of the book describes the observational difficulties in defining unequivocally the solar diameter.