An impressive animation explains the earth's awe-inspiring auroras. The contributions of high-energy particles from the sun collide with our neutral atmospheric atoms. Explained are the roles of solar wind, plasma, the magnetosphere, coronal mass ejection, magnetic storms, oxygen and nitrogen atoms, photons, sunspots, and solar flares. A terrific amount of information is packed into the four-minute film, perfect for introducing the northern and southern lights to your earth science class. Make sure to find photographs of actual auroras for the class to see!

Concepts

auroras, solar wind, the magnetosphere, the northern lights

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Additional Tags

aurora, magnetosphere, northern lights, solar wind, science

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Pros

• Dynamic narration
• Colorful and creative animation
• Comprehensive, yet concise

Cons

• No footage of actual auroras

Common Core

RI.6.7 RI.7.7 RI.8.7 SL.6.3 SL.7.3 SL.8.3 SL.9-10.3 RST.6-8.9 RST.9-10.9 RST.11-12.9