Explore the Universe Near Earth
Clark Planetarium features three floors of free, hands-on, interactive exhibits. Indulge your curiosity as you experiment and play with exhibits, and discover new ways to understand our world, space, the Solar System, and beyond.
Space Weather, Solar Flares and Magnetic Fields
There may not be a lot of air, but there’s still a lot of weather in space.
Near-Earth Exhibits
Space Weather
Space isn't empty. It's full of plasma. Explore interactives by firing solar flares at the Earth and other planets to see how strong planetary magnetic fields are. Stand in front of an auroral display at a location in the far north and wave your hand to control it. Control plasma with a variety of exhibits and cause the auroral oval form in our Planeterrella Exhibit (one of only 2 of this type on public display). Watch a giant projection of our active sun and see time-lapse footage of the aurora from the International Space Station.
SPACE WEATHER FACT:
Auroras are the most visible effect of the Sun’s activity on the Earth’s atmosphere.