Aurora Photos from Earth and Space

http://www.spaceweather.com/ has posted an Aurora Photo Gallery for February, 2008. The pictures show solar radiation entering the earth's atmosphere in places all around the Northern Hemisphere. Here is the link:

http://www.spaceweather.com/aurora/gallery_01feb08.htm

Some of the photos are taken from outer space by the astronauts on board the International Space Station!

(The photo to the right comes from Hanneke Luijting in Tromsø, Norway.)

These are fun photos to look at while reading The Golden Compass...

Music, Noise, and Words

Should we be practicing our guitar playing instead of studying our spelling words? Scientists at Northwestern University might think so. Here is the link to an article about how music helps you do better in languages:

• http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070926123908.htm

Then again, if your house gets too LOUD, your verbal skills might suffer! Here is the link to an article about how babies learn more slowly when there are more distractions in their homes:

• http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2005/0908-mind_amp_brain.htm

Both these stories came from: www.sciencedaily.com