{"id":1770,"date":"2022-05-20T23:27:34","date_gmt":"2022-05-20T23:27:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aurorasaurudev.wpengine.com\/?p=1770"},"modified":"2024-03-18T21:32:34","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T21:32:34","slug":"fuzzy-crafty-models-of-aurora-science-literally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/?p=1770","title":{"rendered":"Fuzzy, Crafty Models of Aurora Science (Literally!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the challenges of learning about aurora science is that so much is invisible or abstract. Fortunately, it\u2019s not hard to make models of some concepts out of easy-to-find materials. In this post, we walk you through two easy do-it-yourself (DIY) projects that use nothing fancier than chenille stems (also called pipecleaners), paper, markers, and tape. You\u2019ll explore the basic structure of the Earth\u2019s magnetic shield, which contributes to how auroras form, and find out how the same structures in aurora can look very different from different perspectives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chenille Stem Magnetosphere<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Earth has an invisible magnetic field, or \u201c<\/span>magnetosphere<\/span><\/a>,\u201d with a north and south pole, kind of like a bar magnet or \u201cdipole.\u201d The magnetosphere\u2019s outer boundary is where a <\/span>gusty stream of material<\/span><\/a> carrying the Sun\u2019s magnetic field into space, called the \u201csolar wind<\/a>\u201d, meets the Earth\u2019s magnetic field. Solar wind plasma squishes the sunward side of our magnetic field and stretches the side farther away from the Sun into a long \u201cmagnetotail.\u201d The kind of aurora we see most often is triggered when the solar wind interacts with the sunward side of the magnetosphere, sending energized particles into the magnetotail, where they are accelerated toward the Earth\u2019s poles. They then collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, creating the beautiful aurora.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n