NASA EG-2000-03-002-GSFC Exploring the Aurora and the Ionosphere 1Educational ProductEducators& StudentsGrades5-8EG-2000-03-002-GSFCNational Aeronautics andSpace Administration6RODU#6WRUPV#DQG#<RX$ Exploring the Aurora and the IonosphereAn Educator Guide with Activities in Space ScienceNASA EG-2000-03-002-GSFC Exploring the Aurora and the Ionosphere 2Solar Storms and You! is available in electronic for-mat through NASA Spacelink - one of the Agency’selectronic resources specifically developed for use bythe educational community.The system may be accessed at the following address:http://spacelink.nasa.govNASA EG-2000-03-002-GSFC Exploring the Aurora and the Ionosphere 3EG-2000-03-002-GSFCNational Aeronautics andSpace Administration6RODU#6WRUPV#DQG#<RX$ Exploring the Aurora and the IonosphereAn Educator Guide with Activities in Space ScienceThis publication is in the public domain and is not protected by copyright. Permission is not required for duplication.NASA EG-2000-03-002-GSFC Exploring the Aurora and the Ionosphere 4AcknowledgmentsDr. James Burch,IMAGE Principal Investigator,Southwest Research InstituteDr. William TaylorIMAGE Education and Public Outreach Director,Raytheon ITSS and the NASA ,Goddard Space Flight CenterDr. Sten OdenwaldIMAGE Education and Public Outreach Manager,Raytheon ITSS and the NASA, Goddard Space Flight CenterMs. Susan HigleyCherry Hill Middle School,Elkton, MarylandTeacher Consultants: Dr. Farzad Mahootian ,Gonzaga High School, Washington, D.C.Mr. Bill PineChaffey High School, Ontario, CaliforniaMr. Tom SmithBriggs Chaney Middle School, Silver Spring, MarylandCherry Hill Middle School student volunteers: Michael Coogan Brea McCauleyLindsay Costa Noelle McKinneyJordan Kough Tracey McPhersonTrevor Kough Heather MullinsAlison Lacey Kusha ThachikAmy Marcheski Justin ThomasCharlie WardCover artwork: Ms. Carol HallLigonier Elementary SchoolLigonier, IndianaThis resource was developed bythe NASA Imager forMagnetosphere-to-Auroral GlobalExploration (IMAGE)Information about the IMAGEmission is available at:http://image.gsfc.nasa.govhttp://pluto.space.swri.edu/IMAGEResources for teachers andstudents are available at:http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetryNational Aeronautics andSpace AdministrationGoddard Space Flight CenterNASA EG-2000-03-002-GSFC Exploring the Aurora and the Ionosphere 5CONTENTSThe Aurora and the Ionosphere...........................................................Lesson 1: A Simple AM Radio Ionosphere Station...............Lesson 2: Radio Waves and the Ionosphere...........................Lesson 3: The Aurora............................................................About Solar Storms and You! ............................................................Science Process Skills Matrix ............................................................Science and Mathematics Standards .................................................. i ii iii9101215Background Essay, “What is Solar Activity?” ...................................Glossary...............................................................................................Resources............................................................................................212425Aurora seen from space look very different thanfrom the ground. The space perspective lets yousee the entire circle of auroral activity which en-circles the north magnetic pole like a diamondring. It also gives scientists a truely 3-D view ofthis phenomenon making it much easy to study.NASA EG-2000-03-002-GSFC Exploring the Aurora and the Ionosphere 6INTRODUCTIONA gas pipeline in Russia explodeskilling hundreds of people.A satellite mysteriously falls silentinterrupting TV and cellular phone traffic.A power blackoutthrows millions of people into darkness.These are only a few of themany things that solar storms can dowhen they arrive at the earthunexpected. In an age where wehave increasingly come to rely uponthe smooth operation of ourtechnology, we have also madeourselves vulnerable to the ebb andflow of the solar storm cycle. Mostpeople are not even aware of thiscycle, but long ago we used to be!Ancient Chinese sun observersknew that, from time to time, darkspots would glide slowly across theface of the setting sun. Once seenonly as portends of politicalupheaval, we now see them asnatural phenomena that canforewarn us of impending storms thatcan have dire consequences for us ifwe ignore them.In this activity book, your studentswill study five key stages in the lifecycleof a solar storm, from its emergence onthe solar surface to its impact uponsome aspect of our lives. The book maybe used in its entirety to study solaractivity and how it directly affects us, oryou may use individual activities of yourchoice as stand-alone mini lessons asan enrichment for math and physicalscience courses.The student activities emphasizebasic cognitive skills and higher-orderprocesses such as plotting data,searching for patterns and correlations,and interpreting the results. By the endof the activity series, students willunderstand why we need to pay moreattention to solar storms.Visit the updated version of this workbook at:http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/workbook/workbook.htmlNASA EG-2000-03-002-GSFC Exploring the Aurora and the Ionosphere 7ObservingClassifyingCommunicatingMeasuringInferringPredictingExperimental DesignGathering DataOrganizing DataControlling VariablesDeveloping a HypothesisExtending SensesResearchingTeam WorkMathematicsInterdisciplinaryIntroductory ActivityAdvanced ActivityLesson 1“A Simple AMRadioIonosphereStation”Lesson 2“Radio Wavesand theIonosphere”Lesson 3“TheAurora”Science Process Skillsfor Solar Storms and You!This chart is designed to assist teachers in integrating the ac-tivities contained in the guide with existing curricula.NASA EG-2000-03-002-GSFC Exploring the Aurora and the Ionosphere 8Science and Mathematics Standardsfor Solar Storms and You!Science as InquiryStructure and Energy of the Earth SystemOrigin and History of the EarthEarth in the Solar SystemGeochemical CyclesPhysical SciencePopulations and EcosystemsUnderstanding Science and TechnologyScience in Personal and Social PerspectivesHistory and Nature of ScienceProblem SolvingMeasurementComputation and EstimationCommunicationGeometry and Advanced MathematicsStatistics and ProbabilityNumber and Number RelationshipsPatterns and FunctionsLesson1“ASimple