AGF-216 The Stormy Sun and the Northern Lights (5 ECTS)

UNIS contact person: Fred Sigernes

Course requirements:

This course is open to all enrolled students at UNIS, and to the Longyearbyen public. UNIS students register online for the course (check your UNIS e-mail for more information). Only UNIS students are allowed to sit the exam and to join the field excursions.

Academic content:

The course will give an historic summary of the sun and the northern lights from ancient myths to early science. A brief introduction to the sun, solar activity, solar storms and modern observations of the sun are also included. How do scientists study the aurora today? The course gives a brief overview of the extensive Norwegian scientific infrastructure used to study the effects from the sun.

Furthermore the course will explain how solar induced disturbances, called space weather, affect our society. Numerous attempts have been made over the years to link various aspects of solar variability to changes in the Earth’s climate. A brief discussion on natural climate change will be included.

Learning outcomes:

Knowledge
Upon completing the course, the students will:

• Have a basic understanding of the sun, how events on the sun trigger space weather, including the northern lights and the processes in the Earth’s atmosphere.
• Understand how solar variability may cause climate change and how space weather affects our technology-based society.

Skills
Upon completing the course, the students will be able to:

• Describe features of the Sun and the Sun-Earth connection, features of the Northern lights from myths to modern science and of observing techniques to improve our knowledge.
• Capture pictures of the aurora.

General competences
Upon completing the course, the students will be able to:

• Understand and reflect around this part of geophysics and to participate in the discussions related to how the Sun affects our society in many ways.
• Describe modern observing techniques.
• Use the competence achieved as a building block for other courses.

Learning activities:

The course extends over two weeks and is centered on the following learning activities:

1. Classroom lectures providing the students with a solid background about the Sun and the Northern lights as well as observing techniques.
2. Field trip to the Kjell Henriksen Observatory to learn about observing techniques and how the observatory is operated.
3. Field trip to SvalSat to better understand how solar and Earth observing satellites operate and how data is distributed to users and space weather centres around the world.

Total lecture hours: 16 hours.
Total fieldwork/excursion: One evening excursion to Kjell Henriksen Observatory, one evening excursion to SvalSat.

Compulsory learning activities:

At least 80% attendance at lectures.
All compulsory learning activities must be approved in order to sit the exam.

Assessment:

Application deadline: Open to UNIS students and the general public.

UNIS students register online for the course (check your UNIS e-mail for more information). Others: No pre-registration necessary, just show up on the first lecture and register on a list.

Northern lights over the EISCAT antenna outside Longyearbyen, February 2017. Photo: Anja Strømme/UNIS

Lecture notes 2019:

Lecture 1 – Aurora Borealis (PDF)
Lecture 2 – Astronomy (PDF)
Lecture 3 – Introduction to the Sun (PDF)
Lecture 4 – Observations of the Sun (PDF)
Lecture 5 – Middle Atmosphere (PDF)
Lecture 6 – Radars (PDF)
Lecture 7 – Space Weather (PDF)
Lecture 8 – Predicting Aurora (PDF)
Lecture 9 – Why study the Aurora (PDF)
Lecture 10 – Studying the solar interior (PDF)
Lecture 11 – Does the Sun contribute to climate change (PDF)
Lecture 12 – Norwegian participation in space and satellite activities (PDF)

Northern light from excursion to the Kjell Henriksen Observatory

Video by Pål Brekke

From the excursion to EISCAT

All photos: Pål Brekke