Solar Wind Solar Camp Visit

Glossary

CME

Large amounts of plasma (consisting of mostly electrons and protons) ejected from the sun.

Gamma-Ray Bursts

Short bursts of gamma-rays (very high frequency electromagentic radiation) with very energetic explosions. These bursts can last from a few milliseconds to a few about an hour.

Geomagnetic Storms

A disturbance in the Earth's magnetosphere caused by changes in space weather such as solar erutptions.

Heliosphere

The region around the sun that is filled with the Sun's gases, solar winds, and magentic fields.

IMF

The magnetic field produced by the Sun that is carried through by solar winds.

Ionosphere

The uppermost part of the atmosphere. It also forms the inner surface of the magnetosphere and is reponsible for radio communication between distant places on Earth.

Lagrangian Point

Equilibrium points in space where the gravitational pull by a massive body is equal to that of another body.

Magnetosphere

Forms when a stream of charged particles, such as a solar wind, interacts with the magnetic field of a planet.

Photosphere

The surface of the sun that you see.

Solar Eruptions

These are sudden intense bursts of energy in the sun. They may develop in a few minutes and last for several hours.

Solar Wind

A constant stream pf charged particles, such as electrons and protons, that are continuously ejected from the upper atmosphere of the Sun.

Suprathermal Ions

Ions, charged particles, that have more energy than similar particles of the same type.

Can’t find the word here? Check out our full glossary

Summer 2000

Solar Camp Visits Space Sciences Lab

Sixteen kids stand in front of a classroom wearing stereo-vision glasses.

IMPACT Principal Investigator Janet Luhmann presents the STEREO mission and IMPACT objectives to David Glaser's Solar Campers at Space Sciences Laboratory in Berkeley.

Key Questions: How and why does the vary? How do the Earth and the planets respond?

Janet Luhmann at the right holding up a book in a classroom. There are kids sitting in the background

A few kids sitting at a table facing right. Some of them are putting on stere-vision glasses.

Janet Luhmann holding up some instructional material, facing the class.

Students with STEREO Glasses capture the 3-D image of the . Coronal Mass Ejections - what are they? CMEs are the most energetic eruptions on the . CMEs are the primary cause of geomagnetic storms.

One student looking down with a pair of stereo-vision glasses at some poster. Another student is bending his stereo-vision goggles.

Janet Luhmann talking against a projected background with Earth's orbit

Dr. Janet Luhmann explains how different instruments will study the in 3-D. Question: Why do we need 3-D images of the Sun? Answer: CME's that are directed toward Earth can be detected. This will help forecast magnetic storms that are coming toward us.

Janet Luhmann standing next to a desk, holding a poster

Janet Luhmann standing next to a desk holding up a poster with the Earth and the sun on it.

A classroom of students sitting in an L shape

Janet Luhmann standing at the front of some classroom

For more information about presentations and classroom materials please drop us a line at
outreach@cse.ssl.berkeley.edu