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Aurora Chalk Art

Vivid green aurora borealis lights up the night sky, with visible red streaks, over a silhouette of pine trees and snow-covered ground.
On March 17, 2015, Earth experienced a geomagnetic storm with an aurora that was visible in the Northern U.S. states. Two holes in the solar corona streaming out fast solar wind may have caused the aurora in this image taken from Donnelly Creek, Alaska.
Levels
  • Introductory (K-5)
Material Type
  • Activity/Hands-on
Heliophysics Big Ideas
  • Big Idea 1.2 – The Sun is active…
  • Big Idea 3.2 – Energy from the Sun is created in the core…
NGSS
  • ESS1 - Earth's Place in the Universe
  • PS3 - Energy
Heliophysics Topics
  • Atmosphere
  • Aurora
  • Magnetic Field
  • Magnetosphere
  • Solar Wind
Heliophysics Missions
  • Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)
  • Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS)
Material Cost per Learner $1 – $5
Language English

Create your own artwork inspired by the northern lights! The Sun emits a constant stream of particles, called the solar wind. Some of these particles get caught in Earth’s magnetic field and move toward the poles. When the particles enter the atmosphere, they crash into gases. This excites the gases, and they give off light like a neon sign. The resulting light show is called the auroras!

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NESC Pilot Breathing Assessment Data

May 5, 2025

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