NASA: Data Tour of MMS and Magnetopause ReconnectionWhat happens when ionized solar particles meet up with Earth's protective magnetic shield? Here's a fantastic set of recently released visualizations from NASA-MMS. Magnetic reconnection occurs at the boundary where Earth's magnetosphere encounters the solar wind and converts magnetic energy into kinetic and thermal energy. Magnetic reconnection is considered to be a key driver of space radiation. These visualizations show the flow of particles before, during and after magnetic reconnection. Be sure to check out the chaotic nature of the vector lines depicting strength and direction of accelerated particles. Students can compare these representations with their own data sets compiled by using the MagnaAR app of magnetic field on the surface of Earth.
Lockheed Martin Solar & Astrophysics Lab: Daily Solar EventsThis web page (updated daily) provides images and information on the Sun's active regions, using data acquired from three different satellites which detect sunspot and solar flare activity. Images of sunspot activity can be viewed in visible light, extreme ultraviolet, solar ultraviolet, and x-ray frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum. In introductory astronomy courses, different solar phenomena are best observed at different frequencies. This resource can promote understanding of how scientists use satellite images and accompanying graphs to better understand solar processes that may result in space weather events on Earth. This data set offers a solid opportunity for students to monitor sunspot activity over a period of time, correlate that activity with graphical representations (provided on the website), and form conclusions about how sunspot activity is connected to solar flares and/or space weather.
The K&J Magnetic Units ConverterHere's a very easy-to-use set of unit converters related to magnetic units of measure. Conversions begin with the simplest units and work up to greater complexity. Examples include:
1) Magnetic Flux in weber, tesla, or maxwell converted to volts/second. Magnetic flux is a measure of the strength of a magnetic field in a given area.
2) Flux Density: convert among tesla, maxwell, gauss, and weber units. Flux Density is the strength of a magnetic field as measured in the number of magnetic lines of force per unit of cross-sectional area.
3) Maximum Energy Product (BHmax): convert between mega-gauss-oersted to kilojoules/cubic meter.BHmax (Maximum Energy Product) measures the strength of a magnet.
4) Magnetic Dipole Moment: convert amps/meter squared to joules or ergs; convert Nm/T, erg/G, and Joules/T among each other. Magnetic dipole moment is the measure of an object's tendency to align with a magnetic field.
1) Magnetic Flux in weber, tesla, or maxwell converted to volts/second. Magnetic flux is a measure of the strength of a magnetic field in a given area.
2) Flux Density: convert among tesla, maxwell, gauss, and weber units. Flux Density is the strength of a magnetic field as measured in the number of magnetic lines of force per unit of cross-sectional area.
3) Maximum Energy Product (BHmax): convert between mega-gauss-oersted to kilojoules/cubic meter.BHmax (Maximum Energy Product) measures the strength of a magnet.
4) Magnetic Dipole Moment: convert amps/meter squared to joules or ergs; convert Nm/T, erg/G, and Joules/T among each other. Magnetic dipole moment is the measure of an object's tendency to align with a magnetic field.