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SUNSPOTTERS

"Do sunspot regions exist today that could be a source of solar storms?"

Sunspotters play a critical role in the Student Observation Network. As a Sunspotter you may be among the first observers in the Student Observation Network to observe a sunspot develop the potential to be a source of a solar flare or coronal mass ejection. You could predict a solar storm and alert other students in the Student Observation Network of the storm's potential to have an effect on Earth. In Sunspotters are resources to help you find out what a sunspot is, when and where they appear, and how they change over time. You can also discover some of the ideas scientists have about sunspots and how they may affect Space Weather.

TEACHER'S NOTE

Sunspotters will allow your students to participate in scientific investigations. A few of the questions it is designed to explore are:

  • How do we know when the next solar storm will affect Earth?
  • Do sunspot regions exist today that could be a source of solar storms?
  • What is a sunspot?
  • What kinds of sunspots are most likely to be a source of flares or CMEs?

From Students:

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Learn how to make and use simple solar telescopes in field observations at your school or at home. Study the Sun and its sunspots and predict which sunspots are most likely to be a source of solar flares or coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Make drawings of the Sun and its sunspots daily and observe the changes in the sunspots over time.

From Observatories:

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Ground-based, professional observatories provide images of the Sun and allow you to observe sunspots. You can compare these images of the Sun with your own. You can also use these images when viewing conditions are not ideal for your own solar telescope.

From Satellites:

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NASA satellites monitor the Sun allowing you to see images of the Sun even if clouds prevent you from seeing the Sun from the ground. These satellites also allow you to view the Sun with special filters that reveal more of the dynamics of the Sun than you can see from the ground.

TEACHER'S NOTE

The Sunspotters program of the Student Observation Network (SON) is excellent for grades K +12. There are activities for all grades available.

You or your students may think of other questions to investigate that can lead to open inquiry by using live and archived data. By collecting and analyzing real-time data from student telescopes, professional observatories, and NASA satellites, they can carry out the same duties as NASA researchers!

In Sunspotters you will learn:

  1. how to instruct students in the construction and use of simple solar telescopes to observe sunspots and to predict which sunspots are most likely to produce solar flares or coronal mass ejections,
  2. how to enable students to obtain and interpret data from ground-based professional observatories,
  3. how to enable students to obtain and interpret data from NASA satellites.

Additional science content is available in the Content Enhancement topics: “The Changing Sun”, “A Star Is Born”, “Amazing Structure”, “Solar Wind and CMEs”, Why Do Sunspots and CMEs Occur”, “Electromagnetic Spectrum”, and “How Astronomers Use EM Spectra”.

ACTIVITIES

Most activities are in PDF format.

In addition, there are classroom-ready activities to help students to learn about sunspots and the Sun, to determine that the Sun revolves, to determine the rate of revolution of the Sun, and to investigate the Solar Cycle.

Activities:
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