"Aurora Seen from the Space Shuttle"

We learn about heliophysics from a variety of sources. The Space Shuttle Orbiter has provided new perspectives on the Earth's aurora, flying right through the upper range of altitudes where auroral emissions are generated. The orbiter rarely orbits with an inclination higher than 57 degrees, and auroral emission typically occurs at higher latitudes. However, this photo allows us to see both the lower altitude auroral emissions as well as their upward extensions along the local magnetic field lines.
Image Credit: NASA MSFC

MAGDAS

The MAGDAS (Magnetic Data Acquisition System Project) array of magnetic field instruments is being deployed for space weather studies during 2005-2008, and is one of our most successful IHY projects! MAGDAS will aid the study of dynamics of geospace plasma changes during magnetic storms and auroral substorms. With the help of MAGDAS data, we can conduct real-time monitoring and modeling of the global 3-dimensional current system and plasma density for understanding the electromagnetic and plasma environment changes in near-Earth space.
Learn more about MAGDAS

Prof. Kiyohumi Yumoto

Prof. Kiyohumi Yumoto is a professor at Kyushu University, and is the Director of the Space Environment Research Center (SERC). The deployment and maintenance of MAGDAS (this week's featured Observatory) is a ten-year project of SERC. Prof. Yumoto also serves as the chair of the IHY-Japan Steering committee, as SERC is also the official "IHY National Organizer for Japan." This extremely successful person has had a huge impact on IHY! Learn more about Prof. Yumoto and SERC's projects

Aurora Games

This site, sponsored by the THEMIS mission, is a fun way to learn about the Earth's aurora. Explore the site to learn why Professor Yumoto's magnetic field measurements are so vital to understanding why aurora happen!
Aurora Games and THEMIS activities