The Space Weather
Center Web site (www.spaceweathercenter.org)
was originally launched in 1999 in support of the 1,000 square-foot
nationally touring science exhibit of the same name. While
the exhibit has since retired, the Space
Weather Center Web site has been redesigned and
is one of the most comprehensive and accessible space weather
information resources available online today. Its development
was supported by both NSF and NASA.
Leveraging
heavily from past exhibits and Web sites developed at SSI, this
new site balances between engaging online activities and telling
the story of space weather effects. Beginning with the plasma
state of matter and a thorough introduction to the Sun—the place where space weather begins—other
areas of the site continue the story, focusing on auroras and
storms in Earth’s magnetic field, space weather forecasting
and research/modeling. Visitors can access additional resources,
such as a space weather FAQ, links and a glossary. The site
is intended for general audiences (i.e., the space interested
public).
The
project has also partnered with a small NSF supplement to one of
SSI’s research projects, “From Sun to Earth”.
This program is developing online activities that use the same
numerical algorithms as the parent research proposal. Using game
metaphors such as “mini golf”, these Web interactives
guide users toward developing an intuitive feel for particle
motion in electric and magnetic fields. They provide an excellent
complement to the Space Weather Outreach Program, and are being
integrated into the Space Weather Center site.
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