The Sun Is a Star BY BOB RIDDLE - Although any month could - My NSTA
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SCOPE ON THE SKIES
The Sun Is a Star
BY BOB RIDDLE
A
lthough any month could the equator at an altitude of 90° tion around the Sun—not having
be an appropriate period on September 22, 2021. During to do with distance. Often student
for studying the Sun, Sep- the March equinox, on March 20, attention is drawn to the equinox
tember and March are particular- 2022, the Sun will follow an ap- when they participate in an Era-
ly good months for lessons about parent path across the sky similar tosthenes project or measurement.
our nearest star, the Sun. These to the one it followed in Septem- This is where students would use
two months, the equinox months, ber. shadows, the Sun’s altitude, and a
are two of the four months dur- By middle school, our students bit of math to measure the Earth’s
ing which seasons change. Using have learned about the “reasons polar circumference (see Figure
the Earth’s equator as a reference for seasons” as caused by the 1). They could explore how lati-
point, the Sun is directly over Earth’s axial tilt and its revolu- tude determines the Sun’s appar-
ent path on this day, or any day,
at their home location (see “Loca-
| FIGURE 1: Measuring the Sun’s altitude at the equator. tion, Location, Location” in Re-
sources). Another activity involv-
ing the Sun, and one that could be
structured as a school-year-long
activity, has the students use an
equatorial star chart to track the
Sun’s apparent daily motion along
the ecliptic. Its apparent eastward
motion can be followed weekly
and be coordinated with midday
altitude measurements of the Sun
(see “Observing the Sun for Your-
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR.
self” in Resources for several oth-
er ways to safely observe the Sun).
Activities like these could, pardon
the paraphrase, be a “gateway ex-
perience” to learning the impor-
tance and significance of studying
the Sun and its relationship with
our planet.
78
Space weather
Our Sun is observed and moni-
| FIGURE 2: Storms from the sun poster.
tored from space, from our at-
mosphere, and from ground-
based facilities gathering a host
of data and information into
what is called space weather.
This is the science of heliophys-
ics, the study of the connection
between the Sun and the solar
system, with a particular interest
for obvious reasons in the Sun–
Earth connection. So, what is
space weather? (see Resources).
It is the environment surround-
ing the Earth and other planets
NOAA
that is affected by the Sun’s solar
wind. The solar wind is streams
of charged particles coming
from the Sun, some of which with orbiting satellites, power The most common type of
are harmful to life on Earth, but failures, and some very spectac- space weather is a geomag-
fortunately they are blocked ular auroras visible in southern netic storm, where the Earth’s
by our atmosphere. While our states where they are not often magnetic field interacts with
students are aware of the solar seen (see Resources). charged particles in the CME.
wind and its interaction with Space weather, like atmo- The material in a CME travels
the Earth’s magnetic field from spheric weather, is constantly at millions of miles per hour,
pictures of the colorful auroras, changing and can sometimes go enabling the material to reach
understanding the importance from seemingly tranquil condi- the Earth in a few days and al-
of space weather is increasingly tions to storms from the Sun (see lowing ample time for making
important as we live in a world Figure 2; to view a larger image, any necessary safety prepara-
that relies more and more on see the link in Resources). These tions. One of two things will
the use of electronics. There are storms are very large releases happen when the CME reaches
times when the solar wind out- of energy from the Sun associ- the Earth’s magnetic field. If the
put has impacted the Earth more ated with large solar flares and magnetic field within the CME
intensely than “normal,” result- CMEs, or coronal mass ejections. cloud aligns with the Earth’s
ing in problems with electrical They are classified by their char- magnetic field, then the CME
power grids, radio, and cell- acteristics into three types of so- has little to no effect. However,
phone communication, as well lar storms, each having an effect if the two magnetic fields do
as potential harm to astronauts. scale ranging from 1 (minor) to not align, then the charged par-
One of the most powerful solar 5 (extreme). A network of space- ticles within the CME interact
events is called the “Halloween based solar observatories pro- with the Earth’s magnetic field
solar storms of 2003.” This space vides scientists with the tools to create the spectacular and
weather event was triggered by and data needed for monitoring colorful auroras, sometimes ap-
a series of 17 large solar flares the active Sun and issuing warn- pearing further south. This is
that disrupted radio commu- ings or advisories of potentially also a situation in which there
nications and caused problems damaging space weather. can be damage to electronics in
September/October 2021 79
satellites, certain communica- more intense flows of radiation Earth’s magnetic field, which ex-
tion devices, and even electrical within the solar wind but, for the tends out to about 40,000 miles
power grids. most part, are not of a significant (65,000 km). Energy within solar
Solar radiation storms are danger to anything within the radiation storms take from ap-
proximately 30 minutes to sev-
eral hours to reach the Earth’s
magnetic field, thus limiting the
For students amount of time between dis-
covery and preparations. These
1. Use data from the U.S. Naval Observatory to track the Sun’s space weather events can be
daily position at rising, midday, and setting. Coordinate this with intense enough to damage the
participating in an Eratosthenes project and calculate the Earth’s ozone layer. However, the shield-
circumference. ing effect of the Earth’s magnetic
field helps prevent the loss of
2. Research and identify some notable examples of sunspot
the ozone layer, which prevents
activity, solar flares, and CMEs that have occurred. (Teachers: see
harmful ultraviolet radiation
“Helioviewer—Teaching Tips” for suggestions on using the tool.)
from reaching the surface. Dur-
3. Play the game “Radiation Hazards in Space”; choose your path to ing some of these events, and
Mars, and deal with the hazards of space radiation. despite the shielding from the
4. Make a timeline that follows the Solar Storm of 2003 (see ozone layer, there could be dam-
Resources). age to sensitive instruments on
Visible planets
Mercury as the innermost planet moves very quickly, relative to the other planets, from one side of
the Sun to the other. During September, Mercury will be visible as an evening planet but low near the
horizon at sunset as it moves toward inferior conjunction. During October, Mercury reappears as a
morning planet with a more favorable viewing opportunity.
Venus will be visible as an evening planet, and like Mercury, will be low over the western horizon at
sunset.
Mars moves into superior conjunction, other side of the Sun, and will not become visible as a morning
planet toward the end of November.
Dwarf planet Ceres will be passing through the stars of the open cluster the Hyades in Taurus the Bull.
With an apparent magnitude to dim for naked-eye visibility, the movement of the Dwarf Planet could
be followed a camera and time-exposure images.
Jupiter rises after sunset local time and will be visible all night, setting after sunrise the following
morning. Jupiter ends its retrograde motion on October 18th and resumes prograde motion.
Saturn leads Jupiter across the night sky and, like Jupiter, will be visible all night, ending its retrograde
motion on October 11th.
80
SCOPE ON THE SKIES
satellites, and radiation could
even prove harmful to passen-
gers in airplanes and astronauts
| FIGURE 3: Solar cycle graphic.
in Earth’s orbit.
Radio blackouts are among the
most commonly occurring space
weather events and happen when
a solar flare and the CME con-
tain high-energy x-ray radiation.
Traveling at the speed of light,
SPACE WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER—NOAA
the stream of x-rays takes about
eight minutes to hit the upper re-
gions of the Earth’s atmosphere,
the ionosphere. This interaction
creates a turbulence-like effect
throughout the ionosphere. There
could be serious consequences
from these events, as turbulence
within the ionosphere has an im-
mediate effect on the transmis-
sion of certain aviation and ma-
rine radio frequencies as well as
the accuracy of GPS, for example.
Space weather has a strong many suggestions for ways stu- Terrestrial Effects,” a curriculum
connection with the solar cycle dents could use the Helioviewer guide for grades 7–12. Within the
of sunspots, an 11-year cycle of tool (see Resources). guide are directions and activities
increasing, then decreasing, sun- for observing and collecting data
spot activity on the visible surface Living With a Star about the Sun, including interac-
of the Sun, the photosphere. In Living With a Star is the name tions between the Sun, space, and
2021, there has been an increase of a proposed NASA mission to the Earth. Because we are active-
in activity and the number of the Sun tentatively planned for a ly exploring Mars leading up to
sunspots following the minimum 2027 launch date (see Resources). an eventual crewed mission, the
a year or so ago (see Figure 3). This is also the title of an older but board game Radiation Hazards
Students may follow the daily ac- still available NASA publication in Space could be of interest to
tivity of the Sun as viewed from (see Resources)—an educator’s students. In this game students
space by the Yohkoh and SOHO guide with activities and web re- learn about harmful solar radia-
satellites, or by logging into the sources, albeit some of the URLs tion. Working in small teams, they
Space Weather Enthusiasts Dash- have changed since the publica- choose a path to Mars. Along the
board for space weather condi- tion was released. The publication way, each team deals with the
tions and possible warnings. Ad- is a good place to start as it lists hazards of radiation. The team ar-
ditionally, students could use the and describes many of the NASA riving with the best health record
PBS Learning Media’s interactive Sun–Earth missions and indicates wins (see Resources). •
Helioviewer and observe the Sun whether there is a mission educa-
for sunspots, flares, the Sun’s tion page. Another good resource RESOURCES
magnetic field, eruptions, CMEs, for lessons and activities about Curriculum Guide—www.swpc.noaa.
and other solar events. There are the Sun is “Solar Physics and gov/content/solar-physics-and-
September/October 2021 81
terrestrial-effects-curriculum- stem-ed-resources/living-with-a- Our Star – the Sun Lithograph—www.
guide-teachers-grades-7-12 star.html nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/Our_
Eratosthenes Measurement—https:// Living with a Star 2027 Mission—lws. Star_The_Sun_Lithograph.html
www.juliantrubin.com/bigten/ gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html Radiation Hazards in Space Game
eratosthenes.html “Location, Location, Location”—Science Directions—www.swpc.noaa.gov/
Halloween Solar Storms—www.nasa. Scope. Bob Riddle. July 2014. sites/default/files/images/u2/
gov/topics/solarsystem/features/ Observing the Sun for Yourself—solar- Activity_9_mod2-FINAL.pdf
halloween_storms.html center.stanford.edu/observe/ Radiation Hazards in Space Game
Living with a Star—www.nasa.gov/ observe.html Cards—www.swpc.noaa.gov/
September
02 Moon at northernmost 22 September equinox 19:22 14 Waxing gibbous Moon—
declination: 25.9° N UT (3:22 EDT) Saturn conjunction
03 Waxing crescent Moon near 26 Moon at ascending node 15 Waxing gibbous Moon—
Beehive Open Star Cluster Moon at apogee: 251,407 Jupiter conjunction
Viking 2 landed on Mars miles (404,600 km) 16 Venus—Antares conjunction
(1976) 28 Last quarter Moon Parker solar probe Venus
05 Venus—Spica conjunction 29 Moon at northernmost Flyby #5
06 New Moon declination: 26.1° N 20 Full Moon
09 Waxing crescent Moon— World Statistics Day
Venus conjunction October 21 Orionid meteor shower: ZHR
11 Moon at perigee: 228,975 01 Waning crescent Moon near = 20
miles (368,500 km) Beehive Open Star Cluster 23 Moon at ascending node
12 Moon at descending node 02 ESA’s BepiColombo 24 Moon at apogee: 252,028
SpaceX Crew 3 scheduled Spacecraft flyby of Mercury miles (405,600 km)
launch 04 World Space Week (4th– Mercury at greatest western
13 First quarter Moon 10th) elongation: 18.4° W
Mercury at greatest eastern 06 New Moon Mars Odyssey Orbital
elongation: 26.8° E 07 Mars at solar conjunction Insertion (2001)
14 Neptune at opposition 08 Moon at perigee: 225,806 27 Moon at northernmost
15 Moon at southernmost miles (363,400 km) declination: 26.3° N
declination: 26° S 09 Mercury at inferior Waning gibbous Moon near
16 Waxing gibbous Moon— conjunction Gemini Twins star Pollux
Saturn Conjunction Waxing crescent Moon— 28 Last quarter Moon
18 Waxing gibbous Moon— Venus conjunction Waning gibbous Moon near
Jupiter Conjunction Moon at descending node Beehive Open Star Cluster
20 Full Moon 11 Nova-C Falcon launch to 29 Venus at greatest eastern
Mercury—Spica conjunction Moon elongation: 47° E
First animals to survive a 12 Moon at southernmost 31 Launch of James Webb
rocket flight (1951) declination: 26.2° S Space Telescope (JWST)
21 H.G. Wells birthday (1866) First quarter Moon
82SCOPE ON THE SKIES
sites/default/files/images/u2/ enthusiasts helioviewer.ias.u-psud.fr/
GameCards-FINAL.pdf Space Weather Poster—www.swpc. Timeline: Solar Storm 2003 Activity
SOHO—soho.nascom.nasa.gov/ noaa.gov/sites/default/files/images/ (PDF)—spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Solar Cycle Progression Chart—www. u33/swx_poster_a.jpg weekly/5Page16.pdf
swpc.noaa.gov/products/solar- Space Weather Impacts on Earth USN Observatory: Astronomical
cycle-progression Poster—www.swpc.noaa.gov/sites/ Applications—www.usno.navy.mil/
Solar Cycle—www.nasa.gov/mission_ default/files/images/u33/swx_ USNO/astronomical-applications
pages/sunearth/solar-events-news/ poster_b.jpg What is Space Weather?—spaceplace.
index.html Space Weather-Storms from the Sun— nasa.gov/spaceweather/en/
Space Weather Education Outreach— www.noaa.gov/explainers/space- What Does the Solar Wind Sound
www.swpc.noaa.gov/content/ weather-storms-from-sun Like?—www.nasa.gov/vision/
education-and-outreach Star Charts PDF (Free)—observe. universe/solarsystem/voyager-
Space Weather Enthusiasts phy.sfasu.edu/SFAStarCharts/ sound.html
Dashboard—www.swpc.noaa.gov/ SFAStarChartsAll.pdf Yohkoh Public Outreach Project—www.
communities/space-weather- Student Helioviewer—https:// lmsal.com/YPOP/homepage.html
Bob Riddle (bob-riddle@currentsky.com) is a science educator in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Visit his astronomy website at https://
currentsky.com.
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