Step 1. Layers of the Earth’s Atmosphere

Key:

Question 1 -- If you were riding on an airplane, would you be able to fly through an aurora? Use your chart above to justify your answer.




Question 2 -- Some people have claimed to see auroras touch the ground. Based on your chart is this possible? Why or why not?




Question 3 -- What type of vehicle would you have to be in in order to fly through an aurora?




Question 4 -- After viewing the photographs of the auroras, what similarities and differences do you see. Use a graphic organizer to display your answer.




Step 6 Chart -- Record the information from step 6 on the chart below. Draw a picture of the aurora oval and color it in in the section Color Sketch. Make sure to color the key and your sketch the same.

	Auroral Activity Day Hour Color Sketch 1st timespan LOW       1st timespan HIGH       2nd timespan LOW       2nd timespan HIGH	Key

Question 5 -- Predict what you think causes the differences in the colors of the auroras.




Step 8 Chart -- You will be using the following formulas to compute the data for this chart.

A. distance in km = distance in RE x 6,400 km

B. d/v=t, where d = distance in km and v = average speed of solar wind = 400 km/s
(time needs to be converted from seconds to hours)

 

Aurora	Distance in RE	Distance in km	Conversion to hours	Time solar wind past WIND
1st timespan
2nd timespan

*Time of aurora - conversion to hours = time to plot on cdaweb




Step 10 Chart

Auroral Activity	Time Span	Avg. Flow Speed	Avg. Magnitude	Avg. Ion Concentration
1st timespan LOW
1st timespan HIGH
2nd timespan LOW
2nd timespan HIGH

Question 6 -- Did the time you saw the greatest jump in the magnitude, flow speed, and/or ion concentration correlate with the time you determined the solar wind passed WIND? If not, give possible reasons for the differences.




Question 7 -- What is the difference in the average speed, magnitude, and ion concentration of no aurora activity and bright aurora activity?




Question 8 -- Based on your observations, what can you conclude about the relationship of solar wind to aurora activity.




Question 9 -- In looking at two auroras, do you have enough data to draw a valid conclusion?


What could you do to improve the validity of this investigation?




Question 10 -- Predict what the aurora would look like today under current space weather conditions? (Check your prediction under Step 12.)




Question 11 -- Solar activity tends to run in 11 year cycles. During solar minimum, there is little activity on the Sun and, during solar maximum, there are vast amounts of energy on the Sun in the form of flares, sunspots, and storms. The times of greatest solar activity are correlated with auroral activity. The most recent date of solar maximum was in 1989. Write a letter to your parents convincing them to take you to Alaska to view an aurora. Think about the best year and months to go. Be sure to explain what an aurora is and why you want to see one. Tell your parents how increased solar activity can affect systems here on Earth.