Space Weather Observing Program

Space Weather Observing Program Coordinator:

Aaron Clevenson
19411 Cluster Oaks Drive
Humble, TX 77346-2918
(281) 852-4667
E-mail: aaron@clevenson.org

Introduction

Welcome to the Astronomical League’s Space Weather Observing Program. Space weather affects our lives more often than most people realize. Space weather is the part of space that is affected by the Sun, with special emphasis on the space between the Sun and the Earth. One of its major components is the solar wind. This is the cause of the Aurora Borealis and also the Aurora Australis (the northern and southern lights). But the solar wind, charged particles emitted from the Sun, also can have many other effects on Earth. These charged particles interact with the Earth’s magnetic field forming the Van Allen Radiation Belts and the Earth’s magnetic field protects the Earth by preventing these particles from streaming towards the Earth’s surface.

When major emissions from the Sun are heading towards the Earth they can cause harm to humans in space as well as problems for our spacecraft and satellites. Humans in space need to seek shelter, and often it is necessary to temporarily shut down satellites to protect them. This is also a major issue for astronauts traveling to, or living on, the Moon and Mars.

Very strong emissions (major coronal mass ejections) deform the Earth’s magnetic field and can even power through the magnetic field and make it to the Earth’s surface. These events can cause major disruptions to electrical distribution systems causing outages in our electrical systems.

The more active the Sun, the stronger the coronal mass ejections, and the stronger the solar wind. So, the best time to see these effects is during a solar maximum, every 11 years. The current cycle is quite active with many sunspots. It is expected to peak in the first quarter of 2025. The intent of this program is to provide an opportunity for amateurs to observe the effects of the solar wind and to understand the process of predicting when the solar wind is likely to impact Earth.

Requirements and Rules

Using your homemade magnetometer, observe and record changes in the local magnetic field.

Build a Magnetometer

To directly observe the effects of the solar wind you will need to build a homemade magnetometer.

- Instructions can be found here: https://www.astroleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Soda-Bottle-Magnetometer-2.pdf
- Materials needed are:
  - An empty 2-litre soda bottle.
  - A couple inches of ballast (sand or small pebbles) to keep the bottle stable.
  - A small lightweight mirror. This can be smaller than 1/2 inch in diameter.
  - A small bar magnet. One to two inches long to fit inside the bottle.
  - A drinking straw.
  - Thread.
  - A small index card.
  - A yard stick or a meter stick.
  - A white flat target.
  - A light source (a faint red laser works well).
- Make sure that everything is glued or taped together very strongly. You do not want to have to work on it during the period when you are collecting data.

Make Observations

Use your magnetometer to detect variations in the Earth’s Magnetic Field.

Do a minimum of 100 observations with a minimum of 100 different days.
You may include observations done during the Solar Maximum Observing Challenge, but you may only count one per day.
Note: this can be done inside and even in bad weather.
The Observing Program can be done at any time but it is most exciting and you will see the most activity during solar maxima.
You may want to do more than one observation during a day with major changes, but this will only count as one observation.
The magnetometer must be somewhere where it will not be disturbed during the entire project.
Note: we have received some feedback that it is critical to place the magnetometer and the laser on a very solid surface. If not, the spot (and the mirror) move due to vibrations.
In your observation log, note the location along the yard stick or meter stick where the reflected laser spot is located.

Compare your observed activity with observations from NASA

NASA data for the Planetary K-Index can be found on this web page: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/planetary-k-index.
Include copies of the column charts with each of your observations.

Note sunspot activity on the Sun

A good source for this is: https://www.spaceweather.com/.
Click on the image of the Sun on the left side of the web page to see more detail. Include copies of these images in your observation log.
Information on individual solar flares and active regions on the Sun can be found here: https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/solar-activity/solar-flares.html.

Predict expected auroral activity in the Earth’s Atmosphere

Light reaches the Earth from the Sun in a little more than 8.33 minutes.
Charged particles in the solar wind (space weather) travel slower. Charged particles in the solar wind travel from 250 to 750 km/second, or roughly 560,000 miles/hour to over 1,675,000 miles per hour.
The Sun is roughly 93 million miles (149 million kilometers) from the Earth.
This means that charged particles will reach Earth sometime between 55.5 to 166 hours or between 2.3 and 6.9 days.
Compare your prediction of auroral activity with actual activity. (Personal observations of the Aurora are not required, but certainly would add a level of excitement to those who can see them.)
Auroral activity can be seen on the same page as the sunspot activity: https://www.spaceweather.com/.
Scroll down to the current auroral activity map. Default is for the northern hemisphere, but there are alternative maps if you are observing elsewhere.
Click on the image of the auroral map on the left side of the web page to see more detail. Include copies of these images in your observation logs.

Note:

The Astronomical League has another Observing Program that deals with Space Weather. One of the tasks of the Radio Astronomy Observing Program called Observing Space Weather: Sudden Ionospheric Disturbances (SID) uses a radio telescope to monitor changes in very low radio frequencies. If you enjoyed this Observing Program and want to further investigate Space Weather, or if you enjoyed building your own detector, or if you are interested in electromagnetic radiation beyond the visible, be sure to check out the Radio Astronomy Observing Program: https://www.astroleague.org/radio-astronomy-observing-program/

Submitting for Certification

Information required:

Your name, eMail address, Postal Address, and Phone Number
Your Astronomical Society affiliation (or Member-at-Large)
A diagram or image of your magnetometer showing distance between your mirror and your target
Dates and Times
Latitude and Longitude of your magnetometer
Observation Logs must include:
- Deviation of your laser spot in inches or millimeters
- Sketches or Images
- Reference charts from the websites
- Your prediction of the impacts

To receive your certificate and pin, submit your observations to your society’s awards coordinator for review and approval, who will then contact the Space Weather Observing Program Coordinator, or you may submit them directly to the League Coordinator. Members-at-Large should send copies of their logs directly to the League Coordinator.

Be sure to include to whom the certification should be sent.

Upon verification of your submission and of your active membership in the Astronomical League, your recognition (certificate, pin, etc.) will be sent to you or to the awards coordinator for your society, as you specified. Your name will also appear in an upcoming issue of the Reflector magazine and in the Astronomical League’s online database. Congratulations. Good luck with your next observing challenge.