Framework for Heliophysics Education
Big Idea 3.1
Heliophysics
Big Idea 3.1
The Sun is made of churning plasma, causing the surface to be made of complex, tangled magnetic fields.
The Sun releases energy in two ways: the usual flow of light that illuminates the Earth and makes life possible; but also in more violent and dramatic ways--it gives off bursts of light, particles, and magnetic fields that can have ripple effects far beyond Pluto. The Sun is made of super-hot ionized gas called plasma. The Sun's surface and atmosphere changes continually, driven by the magnetic forces generated by this constantly-moving plasma.The Sun's plasma is so hot that the most energetic charged particles can escape from the Sun's gravity and fly away, out into space, called the solar wind. The solar wind defines the region around the Sun known as the heliosphere.
Solar granules as captured by the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on May 11, 2021
Credits: NSO/AURA/NSF
Have leaners investigate this heliophysics big idea with the guiding questions below.
Introductory: A younger learner (K-5), or a learner new to the subject matter.
Intermediate: A middle-aged learner (6-8), or a learner that has some familiarity with the subject matter.
Advanced: An older learner (9-12+), or a learner that has a lot of experience with the subject matter.
Heliophysics Resource Database
Use the guiding questions above to explore resources at each level or go directly to our database to search for resources by level, NGSS performance expectation, topic, and mission.
Resource Database
