Page 21 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

The magnetotail is the portion of a planetary magnetosphere that is pushed in the direction of the solar wind.
An aurora is a glow in the ionosphere of a planet caused by the interaction between the planet’s magnetic field and the solar wind.
In the highest latitUdes of the northern hemisphere on Earth the aurora is called the Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights; the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, is a similar effect in the Earth’s southern hemisphere.
The size of the auroras varies with the amount of solar activity. When the activity is intense, the auroras can be seen from latitudes greater than 40°; but during periods of less activity they may only be visible at above 60°.
Auroras are often green, white, red, or blue. They can look like shining curtains, arcs and bands, or patches that continually move and change shape.
atmosphere The envelope of gases that surrounds the Earth and other bodies in the Universe.
aUrora A region of illumination, often in the form of a wavy curtain, high in the atmosphere of a planet.
ionosphere A part of the Earth’s atmosphere
in which the number of ions (electrically charged particles) is enough to affect how radio waves move.
latitUde Angular distance north or south of the equator, measured through 90°.
magnetic field The region of influence of a magnetic body.
magnetism An invisible force that has the property of attracting iron and similar metals.
magnetosphere A region in the upper atmosphere, or around a planet, where magnetic phenomena such as auroras are found.
solar wind The flow of tiny charged particles (called plasma) outward from the Sun.
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