The Chinese Hα Solar Explorer (CHASE), dubbed "Xihe" – Goddess of the Sun, is China's first solar space mission for both scientific and technological experiments. Since its launch on October 14, 2021, it has been operating well in orbit with excellent scientific data quality. Based on a new type of satellite platform with ultra-high pointing accuracy and ultra-high stability, the Hα Imaging Spectrograph (HIS) onboard the CHASE mission has, for the first time in the world, achieved space-based spectroscopic observations in the solar Hα waveband. The pixel spectral resolution reaches~0.024 Å, the full-disk scanning time is~46 seconds, and the spatial resolution is~1.2 arcseconds. Using the high-quality data from CHASE, researchers have achieved a series of original scientific results in the dynamic processes of solar activities in the lower atmosphere, the formation, evolution, and eruption of solar filaments, as well as comparative studies of solar and stellar eruptions.

Kuafu-1, also known as the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S), is China's first comprehensive solar exploration satellite. It was successfully launched on October 9, 2022, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. After nearly one year of in-orbit testing, the satellite was delivered to the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences at the end of September 2023 and officially entered the scientific operation phase. This article summarizes in brief the preliminary observational research results achieved in less than one and a half years, up to February 2025, following the mission's delivery. Some findings are highlighted, including the pivotal role of magnetic cancellation in the dissipation of β-type sunspots, an exhaustive diagnostic on quasi-periodic pulsations (QPP) in flaring hard X-ray emissions, a joint analysis of dual-angle observed hard X-ray imagery, the features of white-light flares at 360 nm wavelength, Carriton maps in the Lyman-alpha (Lyα) band, and so on. In the future, by utilizing observation data from ASO-S and integrating it with data from other advanced solar observation satellites both domestically and internationally, joint research on multi-wavelength and even stereoscopic observations can be carried out. This is expected to yield significant progress in understanding the nature of and correlations between the "one magnetic field and two storms" (i.e., the solar magnetic field, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections).

A brief introduction is provided to the observational system of the 1-meter New Vacuum Solar Telescope (NVST) at Fuxian Lake, Chengjiang, operated by Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Over the past decade, both domestic and international researchers have used NVST observational data to conduct outstanding scientific studies in several areas, including the observational characteristics and fine physical processes of magnetic reconnection, the structure, formation, and evolution of solar filaments, the fine structure and dynamic evolution of prominences, small-scale solar activities, fine physical processes of photospheric activities, as well as image processing and feature recognition methods. Prospects are also presented for the construction of large-aperture ground-based solar telescopes and the scientific issues they aim to address.

The paper introduces the growing trend of world solar radio researches and points out the importance and uniqueness of solar radio observations. The Mingantu Spectral Radioheliograph (MUSER) in China has been developed and constructed to image the solar atmosphere over continuous wide band radio spectrum in 3-D from the lower atmosphere up into the mid-corona to monitor solar activities. The results of solar radio bursts and multi-frequency (or 3-D) radio images are demonstrated, exhibiting the significant role of MUSER in solar physics and space weather studies.

During May 10-11, 2024, Solar Active Region (AR) 13664 experienced one of the most intense solar storm events since the Carrington Event of 1859, triggering a G5-level geomagnetic storm (Dst index reaching -412 nT) and global auroral displays. AR 13664 exhibited a dense and complex magnetic field distribution, accompanied by rapid magnetic field evolution and high activity such as abundant magnetic emergence, topological restructuring, and the generation of multiple flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). AR 13664 may represent a typical process of energy accumulation and release in intense solar eruptions, making it an ideal subject for studying magnetic complexity, energy storage and release mechanisms, and the causes of strong solar eruptions. This paper reviews current relevant research findings, focusing on multi-band observations, magnetohydrodynamic modeling, and nonlinear force-free field extrapolations, to reveal the full chain physical processes from magnetic flux emergence to near-Earth space responses of AR 13664. The research results around AR 13664 indicate: (1) the region exhibited an extremely high rate of magnetic flux emergence, peaking at 2.2×10²² Mx/day, rapidly forming a complex βγδ-type magnetic structure, with a total unsigned magnetic flux of up to 1.35×10²³ Mx, laying the magnetic topological foundation for efficient energy storage; (2) magnetic topology analysis indicates that the energy release process is closely related to the evolution of quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs) and the development of multiple current sheets, revealing the energy release mechanism in local non-potential energy regions; (3) multi-stage magnetic shearing processes were clearly observed, showing the gradual formation of magnetic rope structures and enhanced instability, closely associated with subsequent eruptions of 12 X-class flares and multiple halo CMEs; (4) the associated CMEs exhibit large-scale trans-equatorial source structures and propagate swiftly through solar-terrestrial space. Some of these CMEs reach projected speeds surpassing 2000 km/s and showcase pronounced southward magnetic fields (with the North-south magnetic field Bz dropping to a minimum of -50 nT) at 1 AU. These characteristics lead to significant impacts on Earth's magnetosphere, instigating intense magnetic storms and disturbances in the ionosphere. These studies systematically depict the full chain evolution process of extreme space weather events from the solar source to near-Earth space, providing innovative insights into the triggering, energy accumulation, release, and propagation mechanisms of solar eruptions, and offering an important research foundation for establishing more accurate and predictable space weather models.

This article focuses on the triggering process of an X1.0 class flare that occurred on May 8, which is the first event in a series of solar eruptions related to the massive geomagnetic storm event on May 10-11, 2024. Multi-wavelength observations show that the solar source region of this event is composed of two closely-related active regions, AR 13668 and AR 13664. There are four filaments in the core area of the activity, and the corresponding high-temperature observations exhibit four sets of bright corona loops, corresponding to one twisted magnetic flux rope and three weakly twisted sheared magnetic arcades in the nonlinear force-free field model. The complex triggering process of X1.0 class flares is analyzed, and it is found that they are associated with the eruption of two M-class flares and two hot channels. The eruption of the hot channel HC1 during the first M-class flare provides favorable conditions for the fast rise of the hot channel HC2 after its formation, which in turn propels the fast rise of HC1. Eventually, the two hot channels merge and successfully erupt, forming a halo coronal mass ejections. The joint analysis of multi-wavelength observations and nonlinear force-free field shows that the formation of the hot channel HC2 is caused by the tether-cutting magnetic reconnection of two sheared magnetic arcades triggered by the magnetic flux cancellation. This process occurs during the second M-class flare, and the fast rise of the hot channel HC2 subsequently triggers the onset of the X1.0 class flare. The study reveals the complex triggering process of the first X-class solar flare related to the massive geomagnetic storm in 2024 May, which involves coupling between multiple flares and hot channel eruptions, deepening our understanding of the triggering process of extreme space weather events in the source region.