At the center of our solar system, the sun influences every planet that orbits it. In two recent studies, scientists uncovered how ancient events in the sun’s history may have helped create Earth’s unique climate and driven previously unexplained climatic shifts.

In new research, scientists at NASA’s SHIELD (Solar Wind with Hydrogen Ion charge Exchange and Large-Scale Dynamics) center—one of NASA’s DRIVE (Diversify, Realize, Integrate, Venture, Educate) Science Centers—trace the trajectory of the heliosphere, the massive bubble created by our sun that envelops our solar system, as it moved through our galaxy and influenced Earth’s climate along the way. In another paper, a NASA scientist and co-authors investigate how the younger, dimmer sun managed to heat Earth by seeding the production of potent greenhouse gases.