Southern Lights

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/southern-lights

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How high is Southern Lights?Approximately 60 to 600 miles (100 to 1000 kilometers)
2. What is the scientific name?Aurora Australis
3. What is the geomagnetic location?Auroral oval surrounding the geomagnetic South Pole
4. Why do the Southern Lights look green?Green light is produced when oxygen atoms at lower altitudes (about 100-200 km high) are excited by the incoming particles and then release light as they return to normal.
5. When is the best time to see the Southern Lights?The best time is during the Southern Hemisphere's winter months, from March to September, when nights are longest and the sky is dark.

Ionosphere: The part of Earth's upper atmosphere, ionized by solar and cosmic radiation, crucial for radio wave propagation.
Geomagnetic Storm: A major disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere caused by a solar wind shock wave or cloud of magnetic field and plasma.
Plasma: An ionized gas consisting of ions and electrons, often referred to as the fourth state of matter.