NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

At any given time, powerful explosions of energy can erupt from the sun, blast through space and sweep past Earth. Known as solar storms, these events are not as unpredictable as they may seem. That's a good thing, considering solar storms can harm astronauts in space and cause power outages and disrupt radio communications on Earth.

Image to left: An image from NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory satellite shows a coronal mass ejection erupting from the sun. Credit: NASA

The Space Weather Action Center is a computer-based activity that allows students in grades 5-12 to track, from their classroom, the development and progress of solar storms. The activity incorporates online NASA data and addresses national education standards in science, technology and math. Students rotate through four space weather learning stations and are challenged to answer the following questions:

Sunspot Region

"Do sunspot regions exist today that could be a source of solar storms?" NASA's Sun-Earth Viewer provides current images of the sun taken by satellites and ground-based observatories. Students examine images for evidence of sunspots, magnetic activity near the sun's surface, ultraviolet light emission from the sun and coronal mass ejections.

Image to right: Sunspots appear as dark spots on the sun. Credit: NASA

Storm Signals

"Have radio signals been recorded today from a flare or coronal mass ejection that could affect Earth?" After analyzing graphical data from a ground-based radio signal observatory, students access satellite data showing the strength of X-ray emission from the sun. Enhanced X-ray emission can indicate the presence of solar flares.

Magnetosphere

"Has there been a measurable disturbance in the Earth's magnetic field?" Students assess the strength of magnetic field activity by interpreting data collected by ground-based magnetometers and by satellite. The information gathered can be used to predict where an aurora might occur.

Aurora

"Have auroras been seen within the last 24 hours because of a solar storm?" Returning to the Sun-Earth Viewer, students study a color-coded satellite image showing the current extent, position and intensity of auroral activity in the northern hemisphere.

Image to right: A strong solar wind can lead to auroras like this one. Credit: NASA

As students interact with the data and content at each station, they record their findings on data collection sheets. After the students complete their rotation, the teacher can have them share their research with the class.

Related Resources + Space Weather Action Center + NASA Sun-Earth Viewer + NASA Sun-Earth Day + NASA Education Web Site

Instructional and setup guides include information on education standards, a list of materials, suggestions for how to organize the classroom, ideas for introducing the project, and guiding questions for student investigation. Also included are printable slides, to be posted at each station, that contain step-by-step instructions for students.

Finally, students can adapt a provided script to present their results in the form of a news report. The setup guide recommends equipment that can be used to produce a professional-style newscast.

Through the Space Weather Action Center, NASA continues its tradition of investing in the nation's education. It is directly tied to the agency's major education goal of attracting and retaining students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. To compete effectively for the minds, imaginations and career ambitions of America's young people, NASA is focused on engaging and retaining students in education efforts that encourage their pursuit of disciplines critical to NASA's future engineering, scientific and technical missions.

Dan Stillman, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies