home

toc = ABOUT THE TEAM = Hello! We are all 8th graders at Bonny Eagle Middle School located in Buxton, Maine. We are the largest middle school in the state of Maine with a total of 936 students enrolled in grades 6th-8th. Each grade is separated into "Scottish Clans" with ours being Dundee. Although, our school is located in Buxton our students come from the surrounding towns: Standish, Hollis, Limington, Buxton, Steep Falls, Bar Mills, and Frye Island. This makes up the largest school district in the state of Maine. 

**STEPS IN THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE**

= = =** Step 1 - Preliminary Question(s) **=

1. Is there a difference in color from the Aurora Borealis and the Aurora Australis?

2. Do the volcanoes in the "Ring of Fire have similar characteristics to those in other locations?

3. If coral reefs are apart of the Biosphere, and are indeed alive, do they move over time? And can you see this movement from space?

4. What causes birds foot-shaped deltas and triangular shaped deltas to be different?

5. How large does a city need to be in order to see the lights from space?

6. On average how tall are volcanoes and are the taller volcanoes more active?

7. Does the time of day an image was taken affect the color of an aurora?

= = = = = = = = = = =** Step 2 - Initial Observations **=

**1. RESEARCH QUESTION:** Is there a color difference between the Aurora Australis and the Aurora Borealis?

**2. SOURCES TO VIEW ASTRONAUT PHOTOS:** Gateway to Astronaut Photography

**3. LIST OF SPECIFIC DATA TEAM WILL LOG FROM EACH ASTRONAUT PHOTO:** Image ID Date Hemisphere Season Location (Australis or Borealis) Color Observations Camera Lens

**4. HYPOTHESIS:** Yes, there is a color variation between the Aurora Borealis and the Aurora Australis, we are just not sure what factors lead to this variation.

= = = = = = = = = = =** Step 3 - Background Research **=

**1. IMPORTANT TERMS AND DEFINITIONS:**
 * Magnetosphere**: the region surrounding the earth or another astronomical body in which its magnetic field is the predominant effective magnetic field.
 * Electrons**: a stable subatomic particle with a charge of negative electricity, found in all atoms and acting as the primary carrier of electricity in solids.
 * Photons:** particle representing a quantum of light or other electromagnetic radiation. A photon carries energy proportional to the radiation frequency but has zero rest mass.
 * Atoms:** the basic unit of a chemical element.
 * Sun Spots:** a spot or patch appearing from time to time on the sun's surface, appearing dark by contrast with its surroundings
 * Solar Flare:** a brief eruption of intense high-energy radiation from the sun's surface, associated with sunspots and causing electromagnetic disturbances on the earth, as with radio frequency communications and power line transmissions.
 * Solar Wind:** the continuous flow of charged particles from the sun that permeates the solar system.
 * Magnetic Field:** a region around a magnetic material or a moving electric charge within which the force of magnetism acts
 * Aurora Oval**: Refers to the areas in either north or south pole where the solar winds interacts with the magnetic force of the Earth, causing spectacular skies.

**2. EARTH SYSTEM INFORMATION:** - Associated with the **Atmosphere.** - We are not sure of the function of an Aurora within the earth's atmosphere, we just know that it is a naturally occurring phenomenon.

**3. FORMATION PROCESS:** 1. It begins with a solar flare 2. Charged particles are emitted from the sun 3. This solar wind penetrates the Earth magnetosphere 4. These particles collide with atoms and molecules within earth’s atmosphere 5. Depending on which molecule/atom that the charged particles come into contact with determine the color of the aurora. http://www.aurorahunter.com/how-the-aurora-borealis-form.php **4. FEATURE DESCRIPTION OR CHARACTERISTICS:** An aurora is characterized by the appearance of streamers of reddish or greenish light in the sky, usually near the northern or southern magnetic pole.

**5. ASTRONAUT IMAGES (2-3) THAT INCLUDE THE FEATURE YOU ARE STUDYING (links, ID#s, or images):** ** Aurora Borealis ** http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/QuickView.pl?directory=ESC&ID=ISS029-E-12564 **AURORA AUSTRALIS** http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/QuickView.pl?directory=ESC&ID=ISS029-E-6400

**6. GEOGRAPHIC REGION OF FOCUS:** Northern and Southern magnetic poles (Arctic Circle and Antarctica)

**7. IF YOU WILL CONDUCT A PLANETARY COMPARISON, PLEASE EXPLAIN:** N/A

**8. OTHER DETAILS IMPORTANT FOR YOUR RESEARCH:**


 * Keep track of your sources in your bibliography.**

= = = = = = = = = = =** Step 4 - Experiment Design **=

**1. FINAL RESEARCH QUESTION:** Is there a color difference between the aurora australis and the aurora borealis

**2. HYPOTHESIS** **(Include a brief explanation of observations & other knowledge that support this hypothesis):** Yes, there is a color variation between the Aurora Borealis and the Aurora Australis, we are just not sure what factors lead to this variation. Hopefully, through this investigation we will gain further insight into our question.

**3. IMAGE DATA COLLECTION:**

**4. OTHER DATA SETS:** N/A

**5. MEASUREMENTS:** N/A


 * Keep track of your sources in your bibliography.**

= = = = = = = = = = = = =** Step 5 - Collect and Compile Data **=

**1. MASTER DATA TABLE:** **Click on the link below in see our final data table:** https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0AixT09jKvsPkdGZTcDRQZFR4UGFjREJ3THVDa2Jad0E&output=html

**2. NEW DATA REQUEST INFO:**

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =** Step 6 - Display Data **=

**1. DATA TABLE(S): Under __each__ data table, list 1-3 observations.** -Green is the most common color in the Aurora Australis as well as the Aurora Borealis -The Aurora Borealis (8 colors) has more of a color variation in comparison to the Aurora Australis (7 Colors) -Green is the most common color in every season

**2. GRAPHS: Under __each__ graph, list 1-3 observations.** -Summer has the smallest color variation in comparison to the other seasons -Winter has the most color variation in comparison to the other seasons -With our data that we collected the Aurora Borealis occurred 55% of the time in the winter season

-With our data that we collect the Aurora Australis occurred 42% of the time in the fall season

-January is the most common month for the Aurora Borealis (32% of the time ) -April is the most common month for the Aurora Australis (50%) **3. MAPS: Under __each__ map, list 1-3 observations.** N/A

**4. IMAGE ILLUSTRATIONS: Under __each__ image illustration, list 1-3 observations.** N/A

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =** Step 7 - Analyze and Interpret Data **=

**1. RESEARCH QUESTION:**

**2. HYPOTHESIS:**

**3. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA:**

**DATA ANALYSIS #1:**
 * **RESTATE A SPECIFIC DATA DISPLAY __OBSERVATION__ FROM STEP 6:**


 * **__INTERPRETATION__ OF WHAT THAT OBSERVATION MEANS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR QUESTION:**


 * **ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS YOUR INTERPRETATION:**

**DATA ANALYSIS #2:**
 * **RESTATE A SPECIFIC DATA DISPLAY __OBSERVATION__ FROM STEP 6:**


 * **__INTERPRETATION__ OF WHAT THAT OBSERVATION MEANS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR QUESTION:**


 * **ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS YOUR INTERPRETATION:**

**DATA ANALYSIS #3:**
 * **RESTATE A SPECIFIC DATA DISPLAY __OBSERVATION__ FROM STEP 6:**


 * **__INTERPRETATION__ OF WHAT THAT OBSERVATION MEANS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR QUESTION:**


 * **ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS YOUR INTERPRETATION:**

**DATA ANALYSIS #4:**


 * **RESTATE A SPECIFIC DATA DISPLAY __OBSERVATION__ FROM STEP 6:**


 * ** __INTERPRETATION__ OF WHAT THAT OBSERVATION MEANS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR QUESTION: **


 * ** ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS YOUR INTERPRETATION: **


 * Add additional data analysis information as needed.**


 * CONSIDERATION OF ISSUES POTENTIALLY AFFECTING YOUR RESEARCH **
 * 1. POTENTIAL ERRORS OR INACCURACIES: **


 * 2. POTENTIAL MISINTERPRETATIONS: **


 * 3. LIMITATIONS OF DATA: **


 * 4. OTHER: **

= = = = = = = = = = =** Step 8 - Draw Conclusions **=


 * 1. SUMMARIZE CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION: **


 * 2. SUMMARIZE INFORMATION ABOUT WHETHER YOUR HYPOTHESIS WAS REFUTED OR SUPPORTED? **


 * 3. NEWLY SPARKED RESEARCH QUESTION(S): **


 * 4. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: **


 * 5. REFLECTION OF RESEARCH: **

= = = = = = = = = = =** Step 9 - Share Research **=

= GLOSSARY =

= BIBLIOGRAPHY = "How the Aurora Borealis Form." AuroraHunter.com - Aurora Borealis and Northern Lights Photos from Alaska. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2011. .

//The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth//. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. .

Return to Expedition Earth and Beyond Team Workspace Main Page