Neutrinos from the sun - An astronomical puzzle

The current situation concerning neutrinos from the sun is summarized. The discussion presents a definition of neutrinos, an introduction to the science of neutrino astronomy, and the implications of these findings. It is noted that neutrinos from the sun and from supernovae provide cosmic particle beams for probing the weak interactions of particles with energies and on time scales that cannot be achieved with traditional laboratory experiments. The solar neutrino unit, or SNU, is defined and the model that provides a combined description of electrical and weak interaction phenomena is detailed. The solar neutrino problem is explained and the importance of neutrino experiments and the theory of stellar evolution is emphasized. Nuclear energy generation and neutrino fluxes, the Cl-37 experiment, the Kamiokande II experiment, and gallium detectors and their contribution to understanding the solar neutrino problem are discussed.