Cosmic and Heliospheric Learning Center
The Cosmic and Heliospheric Learning Center is a web-based outreach
effort of the Advanced Composition Explorer project. The visitor to this
site will find thorough, clearly written tutorials on cosmic rays and the
heliosphere, with hyperlinks to an extensive glossary and to pages on
related topics such as the Sun's magnetic field, space weather, etc. The
Learning Center also offers an introduction to "astrophysics basics"
through brief discussions of the composition of the particles studied in
cosmic ray and heliospheric research, energetic particles, acceleration, and
magnetic fields. Other material available at the site (or "linkable to" from
the Learning Center) includes news articles on cosmic ray and
heliospheric science, student activities (including using real ACE data to
determine the temperature and radial velocity of the solar wind), and a
survey of key events in the history of cosmic ray and heliospheric studies.
The site provides an "Ask a Physicist" option as well as links to related
sites at other institutions.
http://helios.gsfc.nasa.gov
Interstellar Medium Tutorial
This excellent tutorial was developed by the Experimental Space Plasma Group
at the University of New Hampshire. The site offers both a top-level
introduction to the basics of the interstellar medium and a more
detailed, in-depth discussion of the subject. The tutorial is
illustrated with well-chosen graphics, and key technical terms are
hyperlinked to a comprehensive glossary. From the navigation bar you can link
to the ESPG's Outreach page, which provides links to "KidStuff" (interactive
games and instructions on building a scale model of the Advanced Composition
Explorer spacecraft) and to a set of QuickTime animations illustrating
the interaction of the solar wind with the interstellar wind
and the operation of a time-of-flight detector.
Links are also provided
to other pages with information about ESPG projects and people and
to related Web sites at other institutions.
http://www-ssg.sr.unh.edu/ism/
The Heliosphere
A discussion of the crossing of the termination shock of the solar wind by Voyager 1, on December 16, 2004.
http://www.phy6.org/Education/wtermin.html