{"id":1957,"date":"2023-08-22T16:13:47","date_gmt":"2023-08-22T16:13:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aurorasaurudev.wpengine.com\/?p=1957"},"modified":"2024-10-01T17:35:42","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T17:35:42","slug":"aurora-chasers-the-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.aurorasaurus.org\/?p=1957","title":{"rendered":"Aurora Chasers: The Game!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/a>One of the questions we get most often is, \u201chow can I see the aurora?\u201d The answer is <\/span>surprisingly complicated<\/span><\/a> and can be difficult to explain to students. In order to help explain, <\/span>we made a collaborative, role-playing card game!<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With a special deck of printable cards and a dash of imagination, players work together to tell stories that reveal geographic, space weather, community, and other factors aurora chasers need for their best chance at seeing the Northern and Southern Lights. The game spans multiple subjects: space science, language arts, geography, math, meteorology, and more! Gameplay is kept simple to spotlight educational content and keep games quick enough for classroom use. The recommended age is 11 and up; adults can enjoy playing too!<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll play with three friends as a group of intrepid, globetrotting aurora chasers working together on an aurora-viewing mission from our mascot, Rory Aurorasaurus. With eight opportunities to see the aurora, you\u2019ll draw helpful and unhelpful cards from five categories that help you tell the stories of your chases. How did you prepare, what went to plan, and what turned out to be an adventure?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Five<\/a>
Example card draw. The story for this set might be: \u201cWe pulled up to a park in Fairbanks, Alaska, and we were so excited to see the Northern Lights! Other people online were reporting that they could see it, but we weren\u2019t sure because of the light pollution. Then, bears arrived! (The player would roll the dice based on the proportion of happy face cards to sad face cards.) Our roll was successful! Even with light pollution and bears, our friends online helped us see the aurora!\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You\u2019ll learn about some of the factors that cause the aurora, like the flow of magnetism and energy from the Sun, the presence of aurora-related phenomena, and the active solar maximum and quiet solar minimum. You\u2019ll also find out about some of the things real-world aurora chasers have to think about, like how to pick a good location, ensure night sky safety, and count on other aurora chasers. Just like in real life, you can choose to help other players so that your group sees more aurora.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, since Lady Aurora always dances with Lady Luck, you\u2019ll roll dice to find out: did you see the aurora? If you do, you\u2019ll score a beautiful card with a photo by a real-life aurora chaser. Complete the 8-story game to get feedback from Rory Aurorasaurus herself!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We are tremendously grateful to aurora chasers Vincent Ledvina, Rocky Raybell, Chandresh “CK” Kedhambadi, Donna Lach, Jeremy Kuzub, and Rebecca Robinson for generously allowing us to feature their photos in this educational game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Six<\/a>
Aurora cards, with photos by real-life aurora chasers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Grab your free, printable game kit:<\/span><\/h2>\n

Click here<\/a> to download:
\n<\/span><\/p>\n