{"id":1094,"date":"2020-05-01T20:35:51","date_gmt":"2020-05-01T20:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aurorasaurudev.wpengine.com\/?p=1094"},"modified":"2025-01-22T22:23:19","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T22:23:19","slug":"in-spring-the-aurorasaurus-reawakens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/?p=1094","title":{"rendered":"In Spring, the Aurorasaurus Reawakens!"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Spring, the Aurorasaurus Reawakens!<\/span><\/p>\n

During Solar Minimum, even Aurorasauruses hibernate a little. But with new funding, Aurorasaurus is coming back with an update! Over the next months, you\u2019ll see updates to our website and tools. This status update is current as of May 1, 2020.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Behind the Scenes<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"A<\/a>
Dr. Asher Pembroke
Photo Credit: Asher Pembroke<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The mastermind behind this revitalization is Aurorasaurus team member Dr. Asher Pembroke, who has been a community scientist since high school when he ran<\/span> SETI@home<\/span><\/a> from the family computer. He got involved in space weather through an undergraduate research project but was always been drawn to the visualization side of scientific discovery. A lifelong gamer, Asher loves exploring the 3D geometry of Earth’s magnetosphere. While working on his Ph.D. in magnetospheric modeling, he developed new visualization techniques for scientists and educators that helped spread understanding of the intricate coupling mechanisms between the Earth’s ring current and the global magnetosphere. He received his PhD in Physics and Astronomy from Rice University in 2011. After his postdoctorate work at NASA, he continued building science discovery tools for NASA’s <\/span>Community Coordinated Modeling Center<\/span><\/a>. While there, he mentored students in their work on the <\/span>OpenSpace<\/span><\/a> project, an open-source data-driven astro-visualization engine used by initiatives like planetariums around the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now a data science consultant, Asher says he feels honored to contribute to a project that brings together his academic interests and passion for making that knowledge accessible to the public. Thank you, Asher!<\/span><\/p>\n

Revitalized<\/b>:<\/span>
\n<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n
\"A<\/a>
Aurorasaurus map with Legend<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The live aurora map and view line on the <\/span>www.aurorasaurus.org<\/span><\/a> site are fully functional. Check out the map over time, toggle map icons, and verify tweets.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Registering and logging in with Google and Twitter are functional, and we are working on reviving Facebook logins.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Solar Wind Power graph, Aurorasaurus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our Space Weather Data <\/span>page<\/span><\/a> is fully functional! This graph shows the strength of solar wind power, a real-time indicator of how strong aurora will be in about one hour. The solar wind power corresponds to the energy released by the sun. The more energy released, the higher the power and the stronger the aurora will be. It\u2019s an easy-to-use tool for beginning aurora chasing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To learn more, check out our blog series: <\/span>What is the Solar Wind<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>What do magnetic field strength and \u201cBz\u201d have to do with the aurora<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>What is Solar Wind Power<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>What is KP index<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, Our <\/span>Privacy Policy<\/span><\/a> now reflects our latest research review, and our <\/span>About Us<\/span><\/a> page is updated with the current team and more completely introduces what we do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Under Renovation:<\/b><\/h3>\n

Asher is working hard to revive other important functions of the site, and some of our most popular tools. The following are at the top of our list:<\/span><\/p>\n