Science

• Aurora-watching
• Auroral forms
• Excited atoms produce light
• Colored by the atmosphere
• Shaped by Earth's magnetic field
• Powered by the sun

History

• Auroral legends
• Fearful omens
• Polar explorers
• Early settlers

Research

• Early hypotheses
• Research pioneers
• Technological advances
• Why study the aurora?
• New mysteries

  Aurora FAQ's

  Aurora observatory

Geophysical Institute

IARC

Asahi Foundation

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Contact us:
Geophysical Institute Information Office
PO Box 757320
903 Koyukuk Drive
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7320

Material usage statement
Public Domain or Copyright Held by the Geophysical Institute:
Material on this site may be quoted or reproduced for educational purposes without prior permission, provided appropriate credit is given. Please credit "courtesy of the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks". Any commercial use of this material is prohibited without prior permission from the Geophysical Institute.

Copyright Not Held by Geophysical Institute:
This site provides access to materials, licensed or otherwise, for which the copyright is held by owners other than the Geophysical Institute. Use of these materials and resources is restricted by applicable license agreement and copyright law.

Comments, corrections, etc.
e-mail web manager

Japanese translator: Yuri Ito
Web Author: Keiko Akasofu

Aurora links

• NORDLYS Northern Lights - a beautiful, detailed site from Norway. Tons of aurora information, photo contests, real time data and information about Andoya Rocket Range.
• Aurora Watcher's FAQ - compiled from the Geophysical Institute's Aurora Alerts Forum. Detailed coverage of a broad range of topics.
• The Aurora Explained - aurora facts, suggested reading, research milestones. A lot of detailed information in a kid-friendly format. From Neal Brown's Alaska Science Explained site.
• Tips on Viewing the Aurora from NOAA SEC - interactive magnetic latitude finder map and Kp chart.
• Daily Aurora forecast - brought to you by the Geophysical Institute.
  • GSE Aurora Alert - sign up to receive e-mails alerting you to incoming solar events.
  • AA Listserv - discussion area for the Aurora Alerts mailing list
• The Aurora: Information and Images - from Poker Flat Research Range. Images, movies, FAQ's and links.
• Alaska Science Forum articles on the aurora

Alaska science links

• Geophysical Institute - Turning observations into information by conducting research from the center of the Earth to the center of the Sun. Aurora forecast, Alaska Science Forum articles, volcano, earthquake, and weather information.
  • Daily Aurora forecast
• Alaska Science Forum - Weekly Alaska-related science articles. Maintained by the Geophysical Institute, UAF.
  • "If the light's on, somebody may be home" by Ned Rozell
  • articles on the Aurora
• Poker Flat Research Range - Poker Flat is the only high-latitude, auroral-zone rocket launching facility in the US and the only university-owned rocket-range in the world. Friendly site with aurora information and a range tour.
  • All-Sky Camera - the view from Poker Flat. Watch real-time images, and all-sky camera movies.
• International Arctic Research Center - a multinational, multidisciplinary collaboration to understand the mechanisms of global climate change. Right next door to the GI.
• Alaska Science Explained - by Neal Brown covers auroral science, rocket science and remote mapping.

Space weather links

• SpaceWeather.Com - science news and information about the Sun-Earth environment. Solar activity, aurora news, and newsworthy phenomena such as meteor showers. Lots of picture galleries.

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Environment Center - Space Weather center, space weather educational information.
  • Space Weather Now page - storm reports, real-time images
• NOAA's Space Weather Page - alerts and warnings, real-time data, news, pictures.
• Space Weather Guide from NASA's Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum. Topics starting with the interior of the Sun and ending with the aurora. Beautiful graphics, teacher's sections in each article.
• Mission to Geospace - a comprehensive collection of space weather links with descriptions organized into useful categories.
• Space Weather page - satellite links, auroral oval data, auroral forecasting from Silver Space Sciences Lab at Berkeley.

Sun links

• NASA Solar Physics page - Extensive, in-depth articles for the layperson on everything sun-related.

  • "Sunspot cycle predictions"
• Big Bear Solar Observatory website - real time sun images, active-region monitor, image gallery, movies, and a photo tour of the observatory.

• Solar and Heliospheric Observatory website - real time sun images, image gallery, movies, newsroom, classroom, free screen-saver, and "Ask Dr. SOHO".

• Safe sunwatching - instructions on how to safely project sunspots using binoculars. Don't look at the sun through binoculars! Also in Spanish.

Earth science, general science links

• "The great magnet, the Earth - "a non-mathematical introduction to the magnetism of Earth, the Sun, the planets and their environments" by David P. Stern. Also in Spanish, German, French.

• "Exploration: Earth's atmosphere" - article about Earth's atmosphere for teens. From NASA's Liftoff to Space Exploration educational site.

• "Exploration of the Magnetosphere" - a detailed site about Earth's magnetic environment in space by David P. Stern and Mauricio Peredo. Also in Spanish.

• "How atoms work" - article by Craig C. Freudenrich, Ph.D. from HowStuffWorks.com.

Satellite links

• NOAA POES satellite site - images and movies of the auroral oval from instruments aboard the Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite.
  • Aurora viewing: interactive magnetic latitude finder map and Kp chart
• NASA's POLAR spacecraft - website for the general public with images and movies of the auroral oval plus links to information about the different instruments aboard.
  • UVI instrument - daily ultraviolet images of the aurora
  • VIS instrument - Visible Image System, pictures and movies of the auroral oval
• CANOPUS site - auroral oval data acquisition and processing by the Canadian Space Agency.
• TRACE satellite site - TRACE "explores the magnetic field in the solar atmosphere" and takes really cool movies of explosions on the Sun's surface. Pictures, movies, satellite information.
  • Educational resources - short articles on the sun, its magnetic field and TRACE.

People links

• Sydney Chapman Page - by the Geophysical Institute. Biography, articles on his works, and collection of personal anecdotes by friends and colleagues.
• James A. Van Allen - "What is a Space Scientist? An Autobiographical Example." Detailed article which originally appeared in Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences.
• Fridtjof Nansen - a short biography - a multi-page biography by Chr.A.R. Christophersen. Covers Nansen's childhood, adventures as a young explorer, and his work as an important diplomat.

• The Fate of Franklin - website about Sir John Franklin, a modern search for the lost ships, and Franklin links. Lots of pictures.

• Worldbook Polar Explorers - informative articles about Amundsen, Byrd, Peary by Worldbook.

• Robert W. Service original homepage - site devoted to Robert Service, includes poems and biography.

Miscellaneous links

• SeaWiFS Biosphere Globe Generator - by Gene Carl Feldman. Choose your latitude, longitude, season and other variables to create a colorful custom globe.
• Visible Earth - by NASA's Earth Observatory. A huge searchable collection of science-related images and animations including a number of shots of the aurora from space.
• Aurora's Northern Nights - Jan Curtis' website contains a plethora of beautiful aurora photographs.
• Aurora Borealis Photo - purchase aurora prints by Alaskan photographer Jack Finch.
• Macromedia - get Macromedia Flash Player free
  

Geophysical Institute
903 Koyukuk Drive, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-7320
site last modified: August 2003 maintained by Asahi Aurora Web Manager