AuroraWatch magnetometer

We are delighted that Bishop Heber High School is one of 10 schools selected to host an AuroraWatchNet magnetometer (out of 165 schools who entered a competition this summer).

Aurorawatch logo

The magnetometer will help to detect when the aurora borealis (or the Northern lights) is likely to be visible from the UK and other mid-latitude locations. It will do this by measuring the strength of the Earth's magnetic field and logging the data. The strength of the Earth's magnetic field measured on the ground is slightly disturbed by the solar wind and electric currents caused by the aurora. These changes can be detected by the magnetometer, and this will allow us to monitor geomagnetic activity - disruption to the magnetosphere which occurs during a geomagnetic storm giving rise to an aurora event.

http://aurorawatch.net/schools/

The magnetometer will feed data into AuroraWatch UK, which is a network of magnetometers used by the Space Plasma Environment and Radio Science research group at Lancaster University to provide alerts (e.g. via twitter @aurorawatchuk) when the aurora may be visible from UK. The magnetometer will be sent out to us in the autumn term, so no doubt we shall have more to report in due course.

Mr Norman.