• Observing the Sun for Yourself
• The Spinning Sun

"Your site is one of 20 that has been awarded "Best of 1997" and has been featured in Education World's Special Edition "Best of 1997"! We carefully re-examined all of the 240 sites that we reviewed over the past year, and chose yours as [one of the 20] best of the year!"

Overall Rating

CONTENT
This site has educational information, resources and educational activities regarding the sun. Users can learn about the Sun's magnetic field, sunspots and what's happening inside the sun.

AESTHETICS
The site uses a lot of yellow and orange in its design. Most of the links are available from graphical buttons and most text descriptions are highlighted with images.

ORGANIZATION
The Highlights page presents a synopsis of the Web site and allows the user to "get a feel" for the information found here. Each section is listed on the main page and each area has links to the other sections or back to the home page.

REVIEW:
The site uses information gained from the Solar Oscillations Investigation (an international project to study the interior structure and dynamics of the sun) and data from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory data. The site provides links to both sites for more information. Althought the data comes from advanced scientific projects, this site is set up for a general audience. The information here is for students interested in studing the sun. The site includes activities, a scavenger hunt, quizzes, folklore about the sun, a question and answer section and an area of "Solar Art". The site also has a gloassary to explain the more difficult terms and a page of links to outside resources for additional information. The "Sun-on-Earth" area discusses such topics as auroras, rainbows, and sunrises and sunsets. The "About the Sun" section has videos, sun statistics, sunspot and solar mission information, plus images of the sun. The goal of the site is to make science fun and enjoyable while providing a lot of information on the sun and how it affects us. Most of the information and activities are geared to 4th-12th grade sutdents but almost anyone can find something of interest. This is a great place for science teachers or students to find sun-related units and lessons.

" Created by Stanford University, This site presents a collection of fun educational activities based on Solar Oscillations Investigation (SOI) and Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) data. Students can explore the Sun's tangled magnetic field, its turbulent surface motions, the dramatic sunspot cycle, and even what magic happens in the solar interior, where instrumental eyes cannot penetrate. Especially useful and noteworthy are the folklore stories, great quotes, and legends about our nearby star, which could add considerable depth to any curriculum on our solar system."

"Your Web site, Stanford SOLAR Center, is being recognized with the Dr. Matrix Award for Science Excellence from "Dr. Matrix' Web World of Science." "Stanford SOLAR Center" is also being honored with prominent display as a select site at http://www.nr.infi.net/~drmatrix/award.htm with the categories: Astronomy & Space Science, Exploration and Reference, and Student Resource.

"Sites receiving this award are distinguished by the quality of their content alone. A flashy Web site will not receive this award if its content lacks interest and integrity. A simple Web site will receive this award if it serves the interests of discovery, mental enrichment and thoughtful enjoyment. This award doesn't go to "cool" sites. It goes to the great sites. It's not a daily or weekly award, but an award based on presence, here and now. It is given in gratitude, with no other request but that you keep doing what you're doing.

"I think that the best commentary I can make is that your site gets one of my awards hands-down. It's a veritable gold mine of interesting information and exploration. The SOLAR Center will go a long way towards enriching exploration on the Web."

"The Stanford SOLAR Center provides educational activities about the Sun based on data from the SOHO mission. There are activities, basic information, solar artwork (including images and illustrations of data), and an opportunity to ask questions of solar physicists, among other features. This site is an excellent resource for students wishing to learn more about the Sun."

"Everything you could ever possibly want to know about our nearest star is contained on this extremely effective and well presented site. Designed very much to be of value from an educational point of view and to be accessible to all, this excellent site is well worth a visit."

"Stanford Solar Center - This thorough and well-organized web site contains activities, images, a glossary, and other resources related to the sun. A great site to learn about the sun's magnetic field, sunspots, solar physics, and more."

"The solar investigations people at Stanford University are providing Solar On-Line Activity Resources for the joy of solar science exploration. They've done a good job with this large site, offering news, activities, quizzes, solar facts and folklore (fascinating!), tons of science and space links, solar art, and much more."