Aurora Borealis

Higher Learning

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Modules For Northern Students and Teachers
This section features educational videos and classroom activities that have a distinct connection to Canada’s northern sky.

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MOD 1: Introduction to the Aurora Borealis

Almost every dark night above the Northwest Territories there is at least one bright display of aurora. Imagine that for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, a calm East-West arc of aurora gently glows in the sky at approximately 62º North latitude. When you see this faint fuzzy arc of light you are actually seeing the intersection point where of one of Earth’s dominant magentic field lines intersects with the atmosphere. Charged particles from the sun are thrust along this field line and plummet directly into our atmosphere where they collide with oxygen, nitrogen and other gas molecules. The result of this collision is the release of energy, which we see as a light. Once you have found the arc, you now know where a substorm will likely erupt. Often the arc will move southward when it is about to be swamped by particles, so one indication of an oncoming storm is the rate at which the oval pushes towards the South.

Classroom Activities

Both the Canadian Space Agency and NASA offer education and outreach materials for teachers. These activities cover many different areas in solar and space science including the study of convection on the Sun, solar flares, how to design a rocket payload, and the general subject of how the Sun affects the Earth.

• Northern Lights and Solar Sprites Grade 1-5
• The Amazing and Beautiful Aurora Grade 6
  
• The Northern Lights Grade 7-8
• Earth’s Magentic Personality Grade 8-12