Iowa Planeterrella

Iowa Planeterrella A Planeterrella is a plasma generator used to simulate such phenomena as the Auroras, Van Allen radiation belts, and the solar winds.

A planeterrella is a contraption used to simulate various natural phenomena involving plasma and celestial bodies. Plainly stated, there are two magnetic spheres that can influence the flow of plasma particles (electrons from a power source exciting gas molecules) within a vacuum chamber. Through modifying the arrangements of the magnets and the course of the electrons, we are able to reproduce su

ch occurrences as the aurora borealis/Australis, the Van Allen radiation belts, stellar jets, coronal holes, and stellar ring currents. The planeterrella at the University of Iowa is based off of plans made by Jean Lilensten at the Planetary and Astrophysical Institute of Grenoble in France. Dr. Lilensten has graciously made the plans available for other institutions to create their own planeterrella for the purposes of education. The current planeterrella is based on experiments by Kristian Birkeland, a Norwegian scientist from the turn of the 20th century. Birkeland was the first to confirm the origins of the Northern Lights and show how they worked by using his “terrella” setup. Unlike the planeterrella, the terrella had only one magnetic sphere in a large vacuum chamber. Terrella is Latin for “little earth”, and was first used by William Gilbert to demonstrate to Queen Elizabeth I that the Earth is itself a giant magnet. Now, over 400 years later, we are carrying on similar experiments to help visualize some of the most beautiful displays on Earth

The Iowa Planeterrella at Bellevue West High School in Omaha, Nebraska!
11/23/2018

The Iowa Planeterrella at Bellevue West High School in Omaha, Nebraska!

Our booth is ready for the expo tomorrow!
04/05/2018

Our booth is ready for the expo tomorrow!

04/05/2018

The planeterrella has safely arrived in Washington D.C. and will be set up at the Walter E. Washington center tomorrow morning!

The Iowa Planeterrella will be headed to Washington D.C. next week to be featured at the Science and Engineering Festiva...
03/29/2018

The Iowa Planeterrella will be headed to Washington D.C. next week to be featured at the Science and Engineering Festival!

https://usasciencefestival.org/

Students of all ages marvel at the glowing plasma within the Planeterrella. As they begin to make the link between what ...
12/19/2017

Students of all ages marvel at the glowing plasma within the Planeterrella. As they begin to make the link between what they see and how the sun and Earth really interact, deeper questions start coming out about the "how" and the "what if". This month, the Iowa Planeterrella is inspiring kids at Wilton Schools in the small town of Wilton, Iowa. It continues to reach students in a new and engaging way!

New article today about the UI Planeterrella. A great amount of teamwork led to our automated model of the Aurora and Va...
02/13/2017

New article today about the UI Planeterrella. A great amount of teamwork led to our automated model of the Aurora and Van Allen Radiation Belts on display now at the UI Old Capitol Museum, The University of Iowa. http://bit.ly/2kknd2Y

University of Iowa students have built a device to recreate Earth’s auroras in miniature. The planeterrella is the only one of its kind in Iowa and one of just a handful in the United States.

These images are to be used in the Hawkeyes in Space museum exhibit located in the Old Capitol Museum. The exhibit is se...
08/21/2016

These images are to be used in the Hawkeyes in Space museum exhibit located in the Old Capitol Museum. The exhibit is set to open on September 8th, and will tell the story of the astronomy and physics department since its inception to the current and future projects. It will also feature the University of Iowa Planeterrella, as a demonstration to some of the amazing space phenomena that are studied here, especially the Van Allen Radiation Belts named after James Van Allen, once a professor at the University of Iowa.

A slightly different configuration as the Planeterrella is prepared for its first excursion out of Van Allen Hall.
05/02/2016

A slightly different configuration as the Planeterrella is prepared for its first excursion out of Van Allen Hall.

A new formation of the small sphere, with a double layer of plasma!
03/26/2016

A new formation of the small sphere, with a double layer of plasma!

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30 N Dubuque St
Iowa City, IA
52242

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