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NASA Helio Club: Session 5: Aurora: The Beauty of Space Weather

Two bright bands of green aurora stretch across the dark night sky from the horizon at the lower right toward the foreground in the upper left, appearing almost like long curtains hanging in the sky. The left band has a series of bright vertical rays along it, like spotlights shining upward. An additional green glow appears just above the horizon in the distance. In the lower right, trees appear silhouetted against the auroras.
Green auroral arcs extend across the sky in this photo captured in northwestern Canada in 2019. The right arc is a typical auroral arc, while the brighter arc on the left is transforming into another type of aurora with bead-like features.
Levels
  • Intermediate (6-8)
Material Type
  • Activity/Hands-on
  • Unit (of Study)
Heliophysics Big Ideas
  • Big Idea 1.2 – The Sun is active…
  • Big Idea 2.3 – The Sun is the primary source of light…
NGSS
  • PS4 - Waves and their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer
  • ESS2 - Earth's Systems
  • PS1 - Matter and its Interactions
Heliophysics Topics
  • Aurora
  • Ionization
  • Space Weather
  • Solar Wind
  • Electromagnetic Spectrum
Heliophysics Missions
  • ICON
Related Missions
  • ISS
Material Cost per Learner $1 – $5
Language English

NASA Helio Club is a collection of six club sessions, or lessons, that complete a comprehensive module created for a middle-school audience (ages 10-14) to introduce basic heliophysics concepts to learners. Designed for both after school clubs and classroom environments, each session takes approximately two hours, or approximately two class-periods. Each session includes a full collection of educator instructions, learner handouts, and assessment tools. 

Session 5: Explores the science behind aurora. Missions introduced in this session include the Ionospheric Connection Connection Explorer (ICON) mission and the International Space Station.

If you plan on running the entire club, the NASA Helio Club Youth Guide ↗  includes the handouts for all six sessions, plus additional resources for a capstone project. Other resources include Educator Background Information ↗ and a complete Materials Checklist↗  for all sessions. All content is connected to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Find the full club/curriculum here ↗

Downloads

KWL_Session 5_NASA Helio Club

May 8, 2026

PDF (82.44 KB)

Handout: Atmosphere Layers

May 8, 2026

PDF (497.02 KB)

Handout: Aurora Colors

May 8, 2026

PDF (227.14 KB)

Handout: Solar Wind Infographic

May 8, 2026

PDF (3.92 MB)

Handout: Electromagnetic Spectrum

May 8, 2026

PDF (417.48 KB)

Handout: Spectroscope Diagram

May 8, 2026

PDF (57.74 KB)

Handout: Spectroscope Template

May 8, 2026

PDF (26.91 KB)

Handout_KP Map of North America

May 8, 2026

PDF (1.23 MB)

Handout: Aurora Chalk Art

May 8, 2026

PDF (254.92 KB)

Handout: Aurora Bracelet

May 8, 2026

PDF (172.97 KB)