{"id":1660,"date":"2021-10-27T19:17:40","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T19:17:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aurorasaurudev.wpengine.com\/?p=1660"},"modified":"2023-12-26T21:44:19","modified_gmt":"2023-12-26T21:44:19","slug":"aurorasaurus-10-years-later","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/?p=1660","title":{"rendered":"Aurorasaurus, 10 Years Later"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"An<\/a>
An all-red aurora captured in Independence, Mo., on October 24, 2011. Image Courtesy of Tobias Billings (nasa.gov)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On October 24, 2011 a solar storm brought beautiful auroras that lit the skies with red colors visible as far south as Alabama!<\/p>\n

\u201cI had heard of Twitter,\u201d remembers<\/a> Dr. Liz, \u201cso I got online that night and could see a lot of people recording their observations.\u201d For the first time, solar maximum\u2014the most active period in the sun\u2019s 11-year cycle\u2014would coincide with social media and digital cameras. Auroras would be more common, and technology would make them more easily recordable. This sparked an idea for the platform that became Aurorasaurus. It grew over time and continues to grow as it is cultivated by so many people.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/a>
Aurora\u00a0lunch at the American Geophysical Union\u2019s 2018 fall meeting. Photo by Dr. Liz MacDonald.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As that starting idea turns 10, we are looking back at the last decade and reflecting with tremendous gratitude on the community that has made Aurorasaurus possible. To each citizen scientist who has taken part, to each colleague who has contributed<\/a>, and to each of our Aurorasaurus Ambassadors<\/a>, we are thankful! We\u2019re planning a bigger (hopefully in-person) celebration for our solar cycle 11 year anniversary next year, but we want to share perspectives from community members to celebrate all we have accomplished together.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Photo of aurora, STEVE, Comet NEOWISE, and a meteor, by Aurorasaurus Ambassador Donna Lach, 2020.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is heartwarming to share the excitement about the aurora with like-minded people from all walks of life around the world. My hobby is taking aurora photos, but when I found out that I could contribute to its study and be a citizen scientist a whole new world opened up to me. It gave my hobby a purpose. It gave me something to look for inside the aurora. It connected me to the academic scientists with a bond that is rewarding for both sides.
\n\u2014Donna Lach, aurora chaser, Manitoba, Canada<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Two<\/a>
Citizen scientists and Aurorasaurus Ambassadors Vincent Ledvina and Andy Witteman chase aurora together in Alaska. Photo by Vincent Ledvina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is a community of like-minded individuals, each with their talents and backgrounds, contributing to unique and inspiring projects. Through these projects, I have met, talked to, and even aurora chased with members of Aurorasaurus, and thus a small community has quickly become lifelong friends! Aurora chasing and its wonderful community opened the door for me to go back to school and pursue my ultimate goal of a career in science! Aurorasaurus has been harmonious with furthering my education here at UAF; it lets the creative side of the physics I have learned here come forth in fun and exciting ways.
\n\u2014Andy Witteman, student, University of Alaska Fairbanks<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"A<\/a>
Vincent Ledvina with NoDDAC. Photo by Shawna Schill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One night in 2015, I saw on Aurorasaurus.org that many in my area were seeing aurora. That night, I captured my first aurora photo. Because of citizen science, I was hooked\u2014and since then, aurora chasing and studying the elusive lights have become a way of life for me. I have had the opportunity to present my research to a unique audience of scientists and aurora chasers, giving me valuable insight into how I can improve my skills as a science communicator. As a student intern, I collaborated with Aurorasaurus to spearhead the North Dakota Dual Aurora Camera<\/a> (NoDDAC) project, which aims to provide live views of the night sky and detect any auroras that may occur in North Dakota.
\n\u2014Vincent Ledvina, Physics student, University of North Dakota<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"An<\/a>
Still from KpFox showing an artistic take on moderate, Kp5 conditions. KpFox was created by Aurorasaurus Ambassador Jeremy Kuzub<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Aurorasaurus project, the ambassador community, and the team have made me feel a part of the citizen and the science community. They are a bridge between the research community and the enthusiast community, making each more accessible to the other by saying ‘these people each have something to offer one another’. Aurorasaurus supports and catalyzes work that otherwise may have not found its voice in the research and citizen science community.
\n\u2014Jeremy Kuzub, data visualization specialist and creator of KpFox<\/a>, AuroraDome<\/a>, and AurorEye<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"A<\/a>
Valerie Svaldi, Rory Aurorasaurus, and Chris Ratzlaff at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting 2019. Photo by Chris Ratzlaff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Aurorasaurus has broken down the barrier between the scientific and enthusiast Aurora communities. Even if that barrier was somewhat imagined, Aurorsaurus reinforces a collaborative interaction between these communities. As a result, I’ve been able to work closely with scientists studying the aurora to help uncover and resolve gaps in our knowledge about the phenomena.
\n\u2014Chris Ratzlaff, Alberta Aurora Chasers Lead (and namer of STEVE)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Valerie<\/a>
Valerie Svaldi gives an AGU 2018 poster presentation looking at numerous reports of STEVE to Aurorasaurus. Photo by Chris Ratzlaff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My mom has always been super supportive and interested in whatever I am doing in my school or research, even if she is not from a STEM background. When I introduced my mom to the Aurorasaurus app, she immediately wanted to get involved and would boast to anyone and everyone that she is now an ‘official Aurorasaurus tweet verifier’. It always makes me smile when I hear her update me on the existing posts or news she saw on Aurorasaurus, and it also makes her feel like she is more involved and informed on my research.
\n\u2014Valerie Svaldi, current Master\u2019s student, Colorado School of Mines<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Aurora citizen science would not be possible without the perspective and expertise of citizen scientists. Citizen science is, at its heart, about people. This community of individuals coming together to learn more about the aurora is perpetually amazing and we can\u2019t wait to continue growing with you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On October 24, 2011 a solar storm brought beautiful auroras that lit the skies with red colors visible as far south as Alabama! \u201cI had heard of Twitter,\u201d remembers Dr. Liz, \u201cso I got online that night and could see a lot of people recording their observations.\u201d For the first time, solar maximum\u2014the most active… Read More »Aurorasaurus, 10 Years Later<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1661,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"off","neve_meta_content_width":70,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[20,21,23,19],"class_list":["post-1660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-auroras","tag-citizen-science","tag-northern-lights","tag-steve"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}