In October 1997, astronomers from around the world attended the Solar Analogs workshop at Lowell Observatory. Invited talks covered all aspects of the solar-stellar connection, and the working groups settled on 18 Scorpii as the then best solar twin.
Exactly one solar cycle later, we invite the solar-stellar community to Solar Analogs II, to discuss the latest developments in the study of the activity and variations of the most Sun-like stars and their implications for solar studies.
Each session of Solar Analogs II will encourage a thorough discussion on a key topic, with the aim of making this workshop a unique synthesis of solar and stellar perspectives. This will also be a small (~50 person attendance cap) and highly interactive workshop, with extended time after talks for questions and discussion, and ample time for poster viewing. We will publish a complete online proceedings after the meeting.
The workshop is the 2009 installment of our annual Lowell Fall Workshop series. It will occur over the fall equinox, one of the most beautiful times of year to visit the high country of northern Arizona.
The scientific sessions will cover key areas of study in solar variations and solar-terrestrial interactions. In each of the areas listed below, we will discuss the present state of solar-stellar research and how observations of solar analogs contribute to our understanding of the Sun.
1. The origin and physical nature of activity in the Sun and stars similar to the Sun.
2. The decadal, century, and millennial timescale evolution of solar and stellar activity and irradiance (total and spectral), and the physical state of stars during grand minima.
3. The effects of solar and stellar variations on planets: stellar variations on exoplanets, space weather and terrestrial climate, natural and anthropogenic forcing of climate change, and the use of solar analogs for inferring past and future solar activity.
