This is an activity that compares the magnetic field of the Earth to the complex magnetic field of the Sun. Using images of the Earth and Sun that have magnets attached in appropriate orientations, learners will use a handheld magnetic field... (View More) detector to observe the magnetic field of the Earth and compare it to that of the Sun, especially in sunspot areas. For each group of students, this activity requires use of a handheld magnetic field detector, such as a Magnaprobe or a similar device, a bar magnet, and ten small disc magnets. (View Less)

This is an activity about image comparison. Learners will analyze and compare two sets of images of the Sun taken by instruments on the Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft. With Set 1, they will observe the Sun in both a highly active and a... (View More) minimally active state, and be able to detect active regions and loops on the Sun by comparing the two images. With Set 2, they will identify areas of high magnetic activity on a magnetogram image and recognize that these areas correspond to highly active regions on the Sun. (View Less)

This is an activity about forecasting space weather. Learners will use real-time data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, to identify a variety of solar features and active regions of the Sun, and then will use these observations to... (View More) predict the probability of a space weather event. This activity will require each student or group of students to have a computer with internet access. (View Less)

This is an activity about the period of the Sun’s rotation. Learners will select images of the Sun from the SOHO spacecraft image archive. Next, they will calculate an image scale for the selected solar images. Then, they will use it to help... (View More) determine the actual speed of sunspots based on measurements of their motion in the selected Sun images and, finally, determine the period of the Sun's rotation. This activity requires access to the internet to obtain images from the SOHO image archive. This is Activity 3 of the Space Weather Forecast curriculum. (View Less)

This is an instruction manual for the Sudden Ionosphere Disturbance, or SID, instrument and program. The Stanford Solar Center's Space Weather Monitor program is an education project to build and distribute inexpensive ionospheric monitors to... (View More) students around the world. The monitors detect solar flares and other disturbances in Earth's ionosphere. Special materials are required, including the SID monitor from the Stanford Solar Center, a computer with Internet, and materials for making an antenna. Please note, this is the manual for setting up and installing the SID instrument and does not include specific lessons for learners. (View Less)

This is an activity about cause and effect. Learners will investigate various online sources to find data and other pertinent information regarding reported effects on Earth for the solar events they identified in the previous activities in this... (View More) curriculum set. Then, they will summarize their findings for this activity as part of the overall Space Weather project. This is Activity 13 of the Space Weather Forecast curriculum. (View Less)