Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights

Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights The aurora borealis, also called the Northern Lights, is a multi-colored brilliant light show in the Earths atmosphere that is caused by the collision of gas particles in the Earths atmosphere with charged electrons from the suns atmosphere. The aurora borealis is most often viewed at high latitudes close to the magnetic north pole but during times of maximum activity, they can be viewed very far south of the Arctic Circle. Maximum auroral activity is rare however and the aurora borealis is normally only seen in or near the Arctic Circle in places like Alaska, Canada, and Norway. In addition to the aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere there is also the aurora australis, sometimes called the Southern Lights, in the southern hemisphere. The aurora australis is created the same way as the aurora borealis and it has the same appearance of dancing, colored lights in the sky. The best time to view the aurora australis is from March to September because the Antarctic Circle experiences the most darkness during this period. The aurora australis is not seen as often as the aurora borealis because they are more concentrated around Antarctica and the southern Indian Ocean. How the Aurora Borealis Works The aurora borealis is a beautiful and fascinating occurrence in the Earths atmosphere but its colorful patterns begin with the sun. It occurs when highly charged particles from the suns atmosphere move into the Earths atmosphere via the solar wind. For reference, the solar wind is a stream of electrons and protons made of plasma that flow away from the sun and into the solar system at around 560 miles per second (900 kilometers per second) (Qualitative Reasoning Group). As the solar wind and its charged particles enter the Earths atmosphere they are pulled toward the Earths poles by its magnetic force. While moving through the atmosphere the suns charged particles collide with the oxygen and nitrogen atoms found in the Earths atmosphere and the reaction of this collision forms the aurora borealis. The collisions between the atoms and charged particles occur around 20 to 200 miles (32 to 322 km) above the Earths surface and it is the altitude and type of atom involved in the collision that determines the color of the aurora (How Stuff Works). The following is a list of what causes the different auroral colors and it was obtained from How Stuff Works: Red - oxygen, over 150 miles (241 km) above the Earths surfaceGreen - oxygen, up to 150 miles (241 km) above the Earths surfacePurple/violet - nitrogen, over 60 miles (96 km) above the Earths surfaceBlue - nitrogen, up to 60 miles (96 km) above the Earths surface According to the Northern Lights Centre, green is the most common color for the aurora borealis, while red is the least common. In addition to the lights being these various colors, they also appear to flow, form various shapes and dance in the sky. This is because the collisions between the atoms and the charged particles are constantly shifting along the magnetic currents of the Earths atmosphere and the reactions of these collisions follow the currents. Predicting the Aurora Borealis Today modern technology allows scientists to predict the strength of the aurora borealis because they can monitor the strength of the solar wind. If the solar wind is strong auroral activity will be high because more charged particles from the suns atmosphere will move into the Earths atmosphere and react with the nitrogen and oxygen atoms. Higher auroral activity means that the aurora borealis can be seen over larger areas of the Earths surface. Predictions for the aurora borealis are shown as daily forecasts similar to weather. An interesting forecasting center is provided by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. These forecasts predict the most active locations for the aurora borealis for a specific time and give a range showing the strength of auroral activity. The range begins at 0 which is minimal auroral activity that is only viewed at latitudes above the Arctic Circle. This range ends at 9 which is maximum auroral activity and during these rare times, the aurora borealis can be seen at latitudes much lower than the Arctic Circle. The peak of auroral activity typically follows an eleven-year sunspot cycle. During times of sunspots, the sun has very intense magnetic activity and the solar wind is very strong. As a result, the aurora borealis is also normally very strong at these times. According to this cycle, the peaks for auroral activity should occur in 2013 and 2024. Winter is usually the best time to view the aurora borealis because there are long periods of darkness above the Arctic Circle as well as many clear nights. For those interested in viewing the aurora borealis there are some places that are best for viewing them frequently because they offer long periods of darkness during the winter, clear skies and low light pollution. These locations include places like Denali National Park in Alaska, Yellowknife in Canadas Northwest Territories and Tromsà ¸, Norway. Importance of the Aurora Borealis The aurora borealis has been written about and studied for as long as people have been living in and exploring the polar regions and as such, they have been important to people since ancient times and possibly earlier. For example, many ancient myths talk about the mysterious lights in the sky and some medieval civilizations feared them as they believed that lights were a sign of impending war and/or famine. Other civilizations believed the aurora borealis was the spirit of their people, great hunters and animals like salmon, deer, seals, and whales (Northern Lights Centre). Today the aurora borealis is recognized as an important natural phenomenon and every winter people venture into northern latitudes to watch it and some scientists devote much of their time to studying it. The aurora borealis is also considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Weekly Teacher Parent Communication Through Newsletters

Weekly Teacher Parent Communication Through Newsletters In the elementary classroom, parent communication is a critical part of being an effective teacher. Parents want, and deserve, to know whats going on in the classroom. And, more than that, by being proactive in your communication with families, you can avoid possible problems before they even start. But, lets be realistic. Who really has the time to write a proper newsletter each week? A newsletter about classroom happenings may seem like distant goal that will probably never happen with any regularity. Heres a simple way to send a quality newsletter home each week while teaching writing skills at the same time. From experience, I can tell you that teachers, parents, and principals love this idea! Each Friday, you and your students write a letter together, telling families about what happened in class this week and whats coming up in class. Everyone ends up writing the same letter and the content is directed by the teacher. Heres a step-by-step guide for this quick and easy activity: First, pass out a piece of paper to each student. I like to give them paper with a cute border around the outside and lines in the middle. Variation: Write the letters in a notebook and ask parents to respond to each letter over the weekend. At the end of the year youll have a diary of communication for the entire school year!Use an overhead projector or chalkboard so that the kids can see what youre writing as you do it.As you write, model to the kids how to write the date and greeting.Make sure to tell the students to address the letter to whoever they live with. Not everyone lives with a mom and a dad.Ask for input from the kids about what the class did this week. Say, Raise your hand and tell me one big thing we learned this week. Try to steer the kids away from reporting only fun things. Parents want to hear about academic learning, not just the parties, games, and songs.After each item you get, model how you write it into the letter. Add a few exclamation points to show excitem ent. Once youve written enough of past events, youll need to add a sentence or two about what the class is doing the next week. Usually, this information can only come from the teacher. This also gives you an opportunity to preview for the kids about next weeks exciting activities!Along the way, model how to indent paragraphs, use proper punctuation, vary sentence length, etc. At the end, model how to sign off the letter properly. Tips and Tricks: Early finishers can color in the border around the letter. Youll find that, after the first few weeks, the students will get quicker at this process and you wont need to set aside so much time for it.Tell the kids that theres no excuse for incorrect spelling in their letters because youve written everything for them to see.Make a copy of each letter and, at the end of the year, youll have a complete record of each weeks highlights!Perhaps as kids get used to this process, you will decide to allow them to write the letters independently.You may still want to supplement the weekly newsletters with your own monthly or bi-monthly newsletter. This teacher-produced letter can be lengthier, meatier, and of greater scope. Have fun with it! Smile because you know that this simple Guided Writing activity helps kids to hone letter-writing skills while you accomplish an important goal of effective parent-teacher communication. Plus, its a great way to recap your week. What more can you ask for? Edited by: Janelle Cox