http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/auroras/selfguide1.html

Name:                            Auroras: Paintings in the Sky
Curriculum Concepts:    Aurora borealis
Level of Information:     Beginner to advanced

This beautiful website provides an excellent insight into auroras for students and teachers. This self-guided tour is excellent for students to use without too much intervention from a teacher. The first section describes what auroras look like. There are beautiful images and videos of actual auroras. The second section examines why and how auroras occur. There’s even an audio explanation given by a member of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The third section explains the connection between auroras and the Sun’s activities. The fourth section describes the best regions to view auroras and examines why some regions are better than others. The fifth section describes what auroras look like from outer space as observed by satellites and astronauts. There are beautiful photographs taken by astronauts and satellites. The final sixth section examines why auroras produce different colours.

This beautiful website is anything but plain. All photographs appear professionally taken and really help bring users closer to this spectacular phenomenon. These photographs are perfect for students’ project work. The audio clips from a NASA official are also wonderfully produced. Fonts are bright and bolded for an easy read. Explanations are easy to understand. All important terms are hyperlinked to a glossary of terms. Concepts are presented in a logical order and the site clearly intends on having users follow this order, as evidenced by the absence of an always-present menu. This is an excellent site for both teachers and all students to use.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_aurora

Name:                            Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia - Aurora
Curriculum Concepts:    Aurora borealis
Level of Information:     Intermediate to advanced

This one-page website contains a thorough examination of auroras and the physics of auroras suitable for older students. The first section is a brief introduction that defines auroras. The second section examines the origins and appearances of auroras. This section even offers tips for taking photographs of auroras. The third section of the site examines the physics behind auroras. The fourth section discusses the connection between auroras and the Sun’s activities, which involves a look at geomagnetic storms in the fifth section. The sixth section examines auroral sounds, which some witnesses have described hearing. The final seventh section examines aurora in the folklore of different cultures. The bottom of the site contains plenty of links to resources devoted to auroras.

This simple website provides very nice analyses of auroras suitable for older students. Younger students may find some parts of the site confusing, especially in the section examining the physics behind auroras. All important concepts are hyperlinked to other parts of Wikipedia for further elaboration. Explanations are generally easy to understand. Images are minimal, making the site look relatively plain. Despite being only one page, there is still a table of contents for easy navigation throughout the page. There are plenty of links to other resources. This is a good site for both teachers and older students to use.