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Another article and resources about the Northern Lights.

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Have you ever been to Alaska? How about Norway or Finland? Maybe you've traveled to northern Canada or Russia. These are some of the best places to view one of our planet's most beautiful natural . What are we talking about? The Northern Lights, of course!

Have you ever seen the Northern Lights? They appear as beautiful, colors waving around in the night sky. Some people compare them to huge curtains of light blowing in the breeze. They're usually blue or green. However, they can also be red, brown, or purple.

Scientists call these lights auroras. In the Northern Hemisphere, they're called the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. In the Southern Hemisphere, they're Aurora Australis. In either location, viewers enjoy a bright, colorful light show unlike any other.

What causes an aurora? Just like all natural light on Earth, it comes from the Sun. During storms, the Sun gives off a stream of electrified . This is full of tiny particles called . When the reaches Earth, some of it passes through to our atmosphere .

The then collide with the gases in the Earth's atmosphere . This causes the beautiful lights we see. What gives auroras their colors? This has to do with the gases they interact with. Colors can also change based on the particles' . For example, mixing with oxygen less than 150 miles above the Earth's surface produce green light. When they're higher than 150 miles, they make red light.

People most often see auroras near the North and South Poles. Why? The lights follow lines of magnetic force. This is also what makes the lights appear to move. By following lines of magnetism, they often seem to dance across the sky.

Throughout history, many people have tried to explain auroras. Some cultures have ancient stories about them. Long ago, people in Alaska, Canada, and Greenland said auroras were fire torches. They thought these torches lit the path to heaven for spirits. Many stories from the Aboriginal people of Australia claim the lights are gods dancing.

Today, we know the science behind auroras. Still, it's easy to understand why people long held other beliefs about them. Even today, people are transfixed by the Northern Lights. They travel thousands of miles each year hoping to spot them. Have you ever seen an aurora? Many say it's a magical experience!

NGSS.ESS1.A, NGSS.PS1.A, NGSS.PS2.B, CCRA.L.3, CCRA.L.6, CCRA.R.1, CCRA.R.2, CCRA.R.4, CCRA.R.10, CCRA.SL.1

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Have you ever been to Alaska? How about Norway or Finland? Maybe you've traveled to northern Canada or Russia. These are some of the best places to view one of our planet's most beautiful natural . What are we talking about? The Northern Lights, of course! Have you ever seen the Northern Lights?

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Interactive showing the formation of ionic bonds step by step.

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This interactive activity from ChemThink discusses ionic bonding-a type of chemical bond formed between two ions with opposite charges. Investigate how the transfer of electrons between atoms creates ions and how the mutual attraction of these charged particles forms ionic bonds.

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This simulation allows students to build an atom out of protons, neutrons, and electrons.

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Build an atom out of protons, neutrons, and electrons, and see how the element, charge, and mass change. Then play a game to test your ideas!

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Kiuguyat: The Northern Lights NASA Science

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Kiuguyat: The Northern Lights NASA Science

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Students can explore how different gases in the atmosphere create the colors of the Northern Lights.

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Phoenix Pine Cones Rise from the Ashes of Forest Fire

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Phoenix Pine Cones Rise from the Ashes of Forest Fire

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Phenomenon and questions to get students engaged in the topic of ecological succession.

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Phoenix Pine Cones Rise from the Ashes of Forest Fire - Science On a Sphere

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Forest fires can be incredibly destructive to humans, animals, and plants, but somteimes a forest fire is needed to allow trees to regenerate.

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Students can explore incoming solar energy from the sun and outgoing energy waves, as well as the greenhouse effect.

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Environmental Engineering: Adapting to Rising Sea Levels with Floating Buildings: Sinking Cities

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Environmental Engineering: Adapting to Rising Sea Levels with Floating Buildings: Sinking Cities

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Students can explore and design floating buildings to deal with the problem of rising sea levels due to climate change.

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Environmental Engineering: Adapting to Rising Sea Levels with Floating Buildings | Sinking Cities | PBS LearningMedia

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Learn how designers are responding to rising sea levels by creating floating buildings in this video from the PERIL & PROMISE series Sinking Cities. In the accompanying classroom activity, students use the engineering design process to make floating structures. Additional support materials are available, including discussion questions, vocabulary, and a handout.

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Video explaining the connection between sea otters, sea urchins, and kelp forests, an important food chain including a keystone species.

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Sea Otters versus Climate Change | PBS LearningMedia

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By balancing their ecosystem, otters are playing a role in the fight against climate change. Students will learn about the connection between sea otters, sea urchins and kelp forests and understand the importance of a balanced ecosystem and the ability to be resilient to climate change

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This game/simulation allows students to build their own evolutionary tree using shared characteristics of organisms.

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Video showing why/how male peacocks have a large tail display.

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A Peacock's Tail - The Wonder of Science

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Description: The tail of the male peacock is a great example of sexual selection. Female peafowl are attracted to male peacocks with the largest and most ornate train. The ability of male peacocks to create a large train is related to their overall fitness. Therefore females are more likel

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Phenomenon showing a species that evolved an ant structure on its back to make it difficult to prey on.

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This site is a curated collection of science phenomena for the NGSS, along with phenomenon based learning resources and help for how to use phenomenon to drive student questions in the classroom centered around 3 dimensional teaching and learning.

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Video showing how sickle-shaped red blood cells provide resistance against malaria.

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Description: Sickle-cell anemia is caused by a single nucleotide mutation in the β-globin gene of red blood cells. This creates incorrectly structured proteins and red blood cells with a characteristic "sickle" shape. This harmful mutation does not affect carriers of the disease. However this mutation can be beneficial in certain areas because it offers protection from malarial infections. This phenomenon can be used in a unit on genetics or evolution.

Web Resources: The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection in Humans - HHMI, Sickle-cell Disease - Wikipedia

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Malaria and Sickle Cell Anemia - The Wonder of Science

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Description: Sickle-cell anemia is caused by a single nucleotide mutation in the β-globin gene of red blood cells. This creates incorrectly structured proteins and red blood cells with a characteristic "sickle" shape. This harmful mutation does not affect carriers of th