New NASA HEAT and My NASA Data Resources Bring Space Weather Science into Classrooms

As the Sun enters a period of increased activity, students now have a new way to explore its powerful effects on Earth and space. The NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (NASA HEAT), in collaboration with My NASA Data, has released a new set of educational resources that invite students and teachers to use real data from NASA missions to study space weather phenomena in real time.

Hands-on learning with real NASA data

Developed as part of NASA HEAT’s mission to increase awareness and understanding of heliophysics, these new materials help learners connect directly to the science of the Sun and its influence on the solar system. Resources include:

• Lesson plans and mini-lessons for quick classroom engagement
• Interactive web tools that allow students to view and analyze real-world mission data
• StoryMaps, longer digital experiences that guide multi-day investigations of space weather events

These activities draw on data collected by NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), and the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter, among others, giving students the opportunity to explore how scientists monitor and study the behavior of the Sun.

Understanding space weather

Space weather is determined by the activity of the Sun – its bursts of energy, radiation and plasma traveling through space. When these events interact with Earth’s magnetic field, they can produce stunning auroras, but also cause radio disturbances, satellite interference and power grid problems.

Using these new resources, students can learn how NASA monitors and predicts these solar phenomena and why the study of space weather is essential to ensuring the safety of astronauts, spacecraft, and technology.

Learning during solar maximum

This launch comes at a perfect time. In late 2024, the Sun entered its solar maximum, the most active part of its 11-year cycle, giving students a front-row seat to increasing solar flares, sunspots and coronal mass ejections. The new NASA HEAT and My NASA Data resources encourage teachers to take advantage of this unique time to deepen classroom discussions about magnetism, energy, and the Sun-Earth connection through observation and data-driven exploration.

Inspiring future scientists

NASA HEAT and My NASA Data, part of the GLOBE Earth (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) mission, are part of the NASA Science Activation (SciAct) program, which connects learners of all ages with authentic NASA science content, experts and experiences. By integrating real-world data and current scientific phenomena into the classroom, these new tools allow students to think like scientists and see themselves as contributors to current discoveries.