CITRUS COLLEGE SPACE OWLS TO STUDY AURORA BOREALIS PHENOMENON IN ALASKA
The Citrus College Space Owls are gearing up to take an extraordinary trip to Alaska, where the eight-member team plans to launch a weather balloon into the Earth’s atmosphere and record sounds reportedly emitted by the aurora borealis, a solar storm of brilliant lights that have long fascinated mankind.
The intent is to find a correlation between the aurora and sounds it may or may not produce. The team also hopes to discover the effect of a whistle’s sound by surpassing the speed of sound.
“It is possible that humans are incapable of hearing the sounds that supposedly occur during the aurora borealis, so this is an amazing opportunity for students to test it out first-hand,” said team ad viser and physics instructor Lucia Riderer. “Discovery enriches the mind, and I’m proud that our students continue forging ahead to make this launch a success.”
The Space Owls are an interdisciplinary research team consisting of students enrolled in Citrus College’s physics and recording technology programs. Working together, the students build, launch and recover high altitude balloons into near space and analyze the data collected during flights.
They are one of three teams that comprise Citrus College’s research in science and engineering program. The RISE team, created last spring, also includes the Rocket Owls and CAPE Owls, who work independently on STEMbased research projects and compete in intercollegiate national and international competitions, as well as conduct monthly outreach activities to local K-8 schools.
Upon return from Alaska, students will analyze the sound recordings and gather data to better understand why the phenomenon occurs. They also plan to share their findings with their classmates and the rest of the scientific community.
“I commend these students for their pioneering efforts to shape the field of science and for breaking new ground in the study of the aurora borealis,” said Dr. Patricia Rasmussen, president of the Citrus Community College District Board of Trustee.
