Fantastic Light Show The Northern Lights · Fantastic Light Show The Northern Lights photo by Dr....

© 2009 Universal Press Syndicate

release dates: January 17-23 3-1 (09)

from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate

from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate

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Imagine looking up and seeing bright,colorful streamers of light waving in thenight sky. These waves of colored light inthe north are called the aurora borealis(uh-ROAR-uh bore-ee-AH-lus), or thenorthern lights.

If you live in or have visited the farnorth of America, in Alaska or Canada,you have probably seen the auroraborealis during the dark winter nights. Inthe summer, the night sky is usually toolight for the colors to stand out.

People in northern countries such asNorway often see the northern lights.

The farther south you are, the lesslikely you are to see them. But every oncein a while, when conditions are right,people as far south as Los Angeles cansee the glow of the aurora.

The Mini Page talked with a scientistof space weather to learn more aboutthese beautiful displays.

Polar auroraThe closer you are to the North or South

Pole, the more auroras you will be able tosee. The light shows appear near bothpoles.

Aurora borealis is Latin for “northerndawn.” In the south it is called auroraaustralis, or “southern dawn.”

Few people get to seethe aurora australis,however, because itusually shines awayfrom the continents.

Auroras can be giantlight shows stretching for thousands ofmiles up and down the sky. The lightusually appears near the horizon. Thepolar auroras may shine anywhere from60 to 600 miles above the Earth.

The view from aboveWhen an aurora is seen from space, it

often looks like a circle around one of thepoles.

Fantastic Light Show

The Northern Lights

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The aurora borealis lightsthe sky near Anchorage,Alaska. The auroras areusually made of blue-green light, althoughsometimes the light ispink, purple or red.The more common greencolor is made when acharged particle hits anoxygen particle. Othercolors come whencharged particles hit bitsof other materials.

photo courtesy National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA

The aurora australis glows in the south, nearthe South Pole, looking like a bright dawn.

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The aurora borealis can be seen at the NorthPole from space.

Mini Spy . . .from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate

Mini Spy and her friends are enjoying the northern lights.See if you can find: • elephant’s head • mushroom

• banana• carrot• letter L• teapot• heart• cat• bird• ice pop• ruler• caterpillar• bell

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Setting the stageThere are two main ingredients

needed to make polar auroras:1. the magnetic field around the

Earth, and2. the magnetic field around the sun.When something is magnetic, it is

attracted to something else.A magnetic field is like an invisible

force field surrounding a body such as aplanet or the sun.

Experts believe the Earth’s magneticforce field is created this way:

• In themiddle ofthe Earththere isiron rock.It is so hotthat it isliquid.

• TheEarthrotates,

moving the liquid iron around.• When the liquid iron moves, it

creates electrical currents.• When the electrical current moves,

it produces the magnetic field.

Planetary aurorasEarth is not the only planet that has

aurora light shows. Many other planetshave similar displays.

More About the Aurora

Magnetic fieldThe magnetic field is like a bubble

surroundingthe Earth. Itturns theEarth into agiant magnet.

Themagnetic fieldhas magneticlines leadingto the North

and South Poles. If we could see it, thismagnetic field would look like a Slinkywrapped around the Earth.

Words that remind us of the northern lights are hidden in the blockbelow. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally. See if you canfind: AURORA, BOREALIS, AUSTRALIS, DAWN, SUN, CHARGED,PARTICLES, MAGNETIC, FIELD, EARTH, POLES, SKY, GREEN, RED,GLOW, PLANET, IRON, ELECTRICAL, SOLAR, WIND, WAVES,ATMOSPHERE.

Northern Lights TRY ’NFIND

WHAT ALIGHT SHOW!

D W D E R G L O W T E N A L PA A I V N U S D E G R A H C GU F W N S E L O P S E V A W RR I I N D S E L C I T R A P EO E R S K L C I T E N G A M ER L O M K S I L A R T S U A NA D N W L Y N S I L A E R O BH T R A E L A C I R T C E L ER A L O S E R E H P S O M T A

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This image is madefrom photos ofheavenly elementsmaking up an aurora: adisturbance, or storm,on the sun that causesthe aurora; an auroraas seen from space;and an aurora as seenfrom Earth.

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This ultraviolet image of the aurora circlingSaturn’s pole was taken by the HubbleSpace Telescope.

Rookie Cookie’s RecipeEasy Vegetable DipThis makes a tasty and nutritious after-school treat!

from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate

from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate

Meet Emma Roberts and Jake T. AustinEmma Roberts stars as Andi and

Jake T. Austin stars as Bruce in themovie “Hotel for Dogs.”

Emma, 17, was born in Rhinebeck,N.Y. She has appeared in severalmovies, including “Nancy Drew” and“Aquamarine.” She sang a song in themovie “Ice Princess.” She played AddieSinger in the Nickelodeon series“Unfabulous.”

Emma began acting when she was9. She also plays the guitar. She is the niece of actress Julia Roberts.In 2007, she was a spokesperson for the “Drop Everything and Read” day.

Jake Austin, 14, was born in New York City. He likes to make shortfilms with his friends and enjoys writing and watching TV. He goessnowboarding and surfing, and plays basketball and soccer. He canspeak Spanish.

He acted in the movie “The Perfect Game.”

from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate

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You’ll need:• 1 (8-ounce) container reduced-fat sour cream• 1/2 cup finely chopped raw broccoli• 1/4 cup finely chopped carrots• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery• 1/4 cup light ranch dressingWhat to do:1. Mix all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.2. Chill for 2 hours to blend flavors.3. Serve with cut-up vegetables or crackers.* You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.

All the following jokes have something in common.Can you guess the common theme or category?

Evan: What does planet Earth use to go fishing?Erin: The North and South Poles!

Ewan: Where is the deepest part of the Earth’soceans?

Erica: On the bottom!

Eustace: Why is the sun lighter than theEarth?

Esther: Because it rises every morning!

from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate

Charging upThere are tiny bits of matter that

have an electrical charge. Many of theseelectrically charged particles come fromthe sun. They are trapped in the Earth’smagnetic field.

The sun has its own magnetic bubblesurrounding it. When the sun’s bubbleis blown outward, it sends out a streamof electrically charged particles towardEarth. This blowing stream is called thesolar wind.

The Earth’s magnetic field bouncesmost solar particles back into space. Butsometimes these charged particles aretrapped in the magnetic field.

The charged particles follow themagnetic linesaround the Earth,straight to the poles.Once the chargedparticles reach theEarth’s atmosphere,they hit little bits ofmatter, such as oxygen.

Each time a charged particle hitsanother particle, there is a little burst oflight. The many particles bursting intolight create the auroras.

A solar productionSometimes a big magnetic bubble is

blown loose from the sun. The magneticbubble can slam into the Earth’satmosphere at a million miles per hour.

When this hits the atmosphere, itcreates waves in the Earth’s magneticfield. These waves hit charged particlesalready trapped in our magnetic field.

These crashing particles create wavesof light.

If there is a lot of activity in the sun,the incoming bubble can squash theEarth’s magnetic field. Light from theaurora borealis can then be pushedsouth so the aurora is visible muchfarther from the North Pole.

Sun Show

Sun cycleThe sun is on a regular 22-year cycle.

This means the sun’s magnetic fieldflips directions every 11 years. Then, 11years later, it flips back again.

It doesn’t flip all at once. It startschanging direction throughout the cycle.In the middle of the cycle, the particlesin the sun’s magnetic field become themost disturbed.

When this happens, more chargedparticles stream toward Earth. Themore particles that hit the Earth’satmosphere, the more light is produced.Then we see more and brighter auroras.

By knowing the sun’s cycle, scientistscan predict when the brightest auroraswill appear in the Earth’s skies.

The Mini Page StaffBetty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist

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This aurora streams overAlaska. The solar windcarrying electricallycharged particles from thesun to the Earth’satmosphere not only cancreate beautiful auroras, itcan also disrupt electronicequipment such assatellites. If a satellite isdamaged, it could affectcommunications orweather forecasting. Thesolar wind can also causeelectricity blackouts.

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A display of aurora australis flows over theSouth Pole Station in Antarctica.

The Mini Page thanks Janet Green, physicist,Space Weather Prediction Center, NOAA, forhelp with this issue.

Site to see:www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/aurorashttp://spaceplace.nasa.gov

Next week The Mini Page is about dogguides for the blind.

Look on the weather page of yournewspaper. What space weather events arelisted there?

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This art shows the solar wind carryingcharged particles toward Earth. Theparticles hit the Earth’s magnetic field(shown as ovals on the right).

from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate

Supersport: Casey NogueiraHeight: 5-6 Birthdate: 2-23-89 Hometown: Raleigh, N.C.

The pressure mounts. The title is on the line. It’s make-or-break time.North Carolina women’s soccer star Casey Nogueira thrives in those

moments. In the recent College Cup, she scored the tying goal andmade the winning shot to help lift the Tar Heels to a 2-1 win over

Notre Dame and claim their 19th NCAA championship under legendary coachAnson Dorrance. Nogueira was the MVP of that College Cup.

When North Carolina won the title in 2006, Nogueira, then a freshman, also hitthe game-winning goals in the semifinals and finals. She has the timing, talentand touch to produce in the clutch.

Nogueira, who scored 25 goals this season, rockets the ball with both her leftand right foot. Poor goalies!

Nogueira, whose father, Victor, played pro soccer for 27 years, took up the gameat age 5. Her goal is to play pro soccer after graduating with a degree ininterpersonal communications.

Off the field, Casey likes music and fried rice, and lists Tiger Woods as herfavorite athlete.

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