Show Description:

In this live audience participation show, students identify what areas of Earth are best suited for aurora viewing. They model the different seasonal patterns of the Sun's apparent daily motion in various latitudes, including places where there is the phenomenon of "midnight Sun." They observe and sketch aurorae, learn about the causes of aurorae, and find out about NASA missions that are studying aurorae. Classroom activities include selecting ideal locales on Earth for aurora watching, determining the altitudes of simulated aurora, predicting aurora on other planets, spectrum studies, and aurora mythology. The show kit includes:

• script book (script, preparation, materials, and related classroom activities)
• slides (42--not glass mount; not masked)
• video (VHS, DVD, or alternate extra set of aurora slides as substitute video--can be set up as cross-fade system for video illusion)

Author, Franck Pettersen, passed away in August of the year 2000. His brilliance and dedication to furthering human understanding is recognized and treasured by those of us privileged to have been his colleagues in the planetarium field. This planetarium program is dedicated to his memory.

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Updates:

News/Updates for PASS: Northern Lights

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Order:

This program is available in electronic format, with all images and movies included, from the following sources:

Lawrence Hall of Science  Discovery Corner Store

Sky-Skan users: http://www.skyskan.com/interact

Digitarium users: http://digitaliseducation.com/products-curricula-pass

Digistar users:  Contact E&S to request a copy of this program.

For questions regarding content,

e-mail Alan Gould.

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Classroom Activities:

• Aurora Altitudes
• Morning Star and the Northern Lights
  
• Colors of the Aurorae
• Aurora on Other Planets?
• Aurora Borealis from House Shadow Drake
• Travel Guide to the Northern Lights
  
• Search the Internet for Aurora Images
  

All activities copyright 1993 by the Regents of The University of California