AETHERION LEARN
Earth from Space · Lesson 97 · Teacher license

Space Weather and Auroras

Students learn how sunspots, solar flares, coronal mass ejections and the solar wind make up space weather, how charged particles guided by Earth's magnetic field create auroras, and how strong storms like the Carrington Event of 1859 and the May 2024 storm can affect technology and people in space.

Grades 5-8About 15 minutes of narrated flight, plus discussion stops8 stops

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What students will see and do

Students visit the Sun twice (sunspots, then flares and coronal mass ejections), ride along with the Parker Solar Probe, return to Earth for three stops (auroras, the Carrington Event, power grids and the May 2024 storm), then visit the International Space Station and Jupiter. Aetherion pauses at the Sun (why sunspots look dark), the ISS (protecting a Mars crew) and Jupiter (auroras powered by a moon).

Learning objectives

NGSS connections

MS-PS2-5Magnetic fields guide charged particles from the Sun toward Earth's poles to create auroras.
MS-ESS3-2Students analyze how forecasting solar storms helps reduce their effects on technology.
MS-ETS1-1Students define design needs for protecting astronauts and equipment from space weather.

Stops on this journey

  1. Spots on the Sun (discussion stop)
  2. Flares and Giant Eruptions
  3. Touching the Solar Wind
  4. How Auroras Form
  5. The Carrington Event
  6. Power Grids and the Storm of May 2024
  7. Astronauts and Satellites (discussion stop)
  8. Auroras on Jupiter (discussion stop)

Vocabulary