Upper Atmospheric 'Heat Wave' Wipes out Noctilucent Clouds

Source - Space Weather News for June 15, 2017: http://spaceweather.com

MYSTERY OF THE MISSING NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: Every year in June, far-northern sky watchers see electric-blue tendrils creeping over the western horizon at sunset. These are noctilucent clouds (NLCs) formed by summertime wisps of water vapor crystallizing around bits of meteor smoke at the edge of space.  Every year in June ... except this year.  NLCs have been mysteriously absent in June 2017, and researchers have just figured out why. A 'heat wave' in the upper atmosphere has temporarily wiped them out.

Visit today's edition of Spaceweather.com for the full story and the prognosis for future NLCs.

Article URL - http://news.spaceweather.com/mystery-of-the-missing-noctilucent-clouds/

Noctilucent Clouds Sighted over Europe

Source - Space Weather News for May 31, 2017: http://spaceweather.com

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: Noctilucent cloud season has begun. Sky watchers in northern Europe are reporting tendrils of electric-blue creeping over the horizon at sunset. These are noctilucent clouds (NLCs), seeded by meteoroids at the edge of space. Typically, they appear in late May and blossom in June and July. In recent years they have been sighted in the USA as far south as Colorado and Utah.

Visit today's edition of Spaceweather.com to learn more about NLCs and how to see them.

Big Sunspots Staring at Earth

Source - Space Weather News  for July 17, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

BIG SUNSPOTS STARING AT EARTH: Solar activity has been low for months.  That could soon change.  Two big sunspots are staring directly at Earth, and one of them has an unstable magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares. Images and updates are available at http://spaceweather.com

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS INVADE THE USA: For the first time this summer, bright noctilucent clouds have crossed the Canadian border into the continental USA.  Formed by wisps of summertime water vapor freezing around meteor smoke, the electric-blue ripples were sighted by multiple observers in Seattle and surrounding areas. Check out the video on http://spaceweather.com.

Noctilucent Clouds Descend to Mid-Latitudes

Source - Space Weather News for July 6, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS DESCEND TO MID-LATITUDES: Last night, noctilucent clouds descended to their lowest latitude of the 2016 season.  Electric-blue ripples were sighted over nearly a dozen European countries as far south as 46 degrees N.  These formerly-Arctic clouds are spreading as a result of climate change and may soon be spotted over the continental USA. Visit http://spaceweather.com for photos and observing tips.

Crazy-Bright Auroras over Antarctica

Source - Space Weather News for July 1, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

CRAZY-BRIGHT AURORAS OVER ANTARCTICA: The sun has been without spots for more than a week, and solar activity is very low.  Nevertheless, in Antarctica the auroras have been so bright they are casting shadows and turning the snow reflected-green. What's going on? Visit Spaceweather.com for pictures and an explanation.

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS--A SIGN OF CLIMATE CHANGE?  July is often the best month for spotting noctilucent clouds and, indeed, July 1st began with a magnificent display over Europe. A new study by researchers working with NASA's AIM spacecraft suggest that these electric-blue clouds are a sign of climate change at the edge of space. Full story: http://news.spaceweather.com/climate-change-at-the-edge-of-space/

Night-shining Clouds Brighten over Europe

Source - Space Weather News for June 13, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

NIGHT-SHINING CLOUDS OVER EUROPE: Observers in Europe are reporting an outburst of bright noctilucent (night-shining) clouds. Seeded by meteoroids, these electric-blue clouds float at the edge of space and can be seen alongside the stars after sunset. Soon, they will likely spread to North America. Visit http://spaceweather.com for pictures and observing tips.



Image credits: Space Weather News / Svante Sandström

Noctilucent Cloud Season Begins

Source - Space Weather News for May 27, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

NOCTILUCENT CLOUD SEASON BEGINS: On May 24th, NASA's AIM spacecraft spotted wispy electric-blue clouds floating above the Arctic Ocean. This marks the beginning of the 2016 season for noctilucent clouds.  Seeded by meteoroids, icy noctilucent clouds form at the edge of space where they can be seen shining in the night sky.  Each year, their first detection by spacecraft is usually quickly followed by ground-based sightings. Indeed, a photographer in North Wales spotted some this morning.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for photos and observing tips.

Image Creidt: Space Weather News / NASA

Earth's Magnetic Field is Changing

Source - Space Weather News for May 12, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD IS CHANGING: Earth's magnetic field protects us from stormy space weather and cosmic rays. New data from Europe's SWARM spacecraft show that our planet's magnetic field is changing.  For instance, in recent years magnetism over North America has weakened by 3.5%, while Asia has seen an increase of 2%. Other parts of the world are unsettled as well. Visit Spaceweather.com for the full story.

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: Soon, the season for noctilucent clouds over the northern hemisphere will begin.  A sky watcher in Scotland might have spotted the first apparition on May 10th.   Electric-blue clouds are highlighted on today's edition of Spaceweather.com.




Image Source - Space Weather News / ESA

Strange Clouds Sighted over the Poles

Source - Space Weather News for Dec 17, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

STRANGE CLOUDS:  Sky watchers around the Arctic Circle are reporting an outbreak of rare Polar Stratospheric Clouds--super-colorful clouds that sometimes form in the ozone layer above the North Pole. Almost simultaneously, NASA's AIM spacecraft is seeing electric-blue noctilucent clouds floating over the South Pole. The simultaneous apparition of these strange clouds, poles apart, may be a complete coincidence--or not.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information.

GEMINIDS PHOTOGRAPHED FROM THE STRATOSPHERE:  When the Geminid meteor shower peaked earlier this week, a snowstorm was in progress over the mountains of central California.  Using a helium balloon, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a low-light camera to photograph the shower high above the obscuring clouds. To see what Geminids look like from the stratosphere, please visit http://spaceweather.com

Noctilucent Clouds Reach the USA

Source - Space Weather News for June 10, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS REACH THE USA: The northern season for noctilucent clouds began on May 19th when NASA's AIM spacecraft spotted a patch of electric blue over the Arctic Circle. Since then the clouds have been spreading south. This week, for the first time in 2015, they crossed the border into the lower 48 US states.  Seeded by meteoroids and floating near the edge of space, these eerie-looking clouds are increasingly visible to mid-latitude observers, possibly as a result of climate change. 

Check today's edition of http://spaceweather.com for the latest sightings and observing tips.

Unusual Radar Echoes Detected as Noctilucent Clouds Intensify

Source - Space Weather News for May 28, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

Last week, Earth-orbiting satellites detected the first noctilucent clouds of the 2015 season.  Now people on Earth are seeing them, too.  Photographers in Scotland recorded a fairly bright display of the electric-blue clouds on May 28th.  At the same time, radars have detected intense echoes coming from the "noctilucent zone" 80 km to 90 km above Earth's surface--possibly coming from the clouds themselves. 

Check http://spaceweather.com for more information and observing tips to help readers see NLCs for themselves in the weeks ahead.

Electric-blue Clouds Spotted over the Arctic Circle

Source - Space Weather News for May 22, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: NASA's AIM spacecraft has spotted a luminous patch of electric-blue drifting across the Arctic Circle. The sighting marks the beginning of the 2015 season for northern-hemisphere noctilucent clouds (NLCs). Long ago, NLCs were a polar phenomenon confined mainly to the Arctic. In recent years, however, they have intensified and spread, with sightings as far south as Utah and Colorado. 

Learn more about these exotic clouds and how you might see them this summer on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com.

Noctilucent Clouds Behaving Strangely

Source - Space Weather News for March 1, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: The strange behavior of noctilucent clouds over Antarctica in recent months has researchers on the trail of new teleconnections in Earth's atmosphere, which can alter weather and climate on a global scale. Visit http://spaceweather.com for the full story.

GEOMAGNETIC STORM:  A geomagnetic storm is underway on March 1st, and Arctic sky watchers are seeing bright auroras.  NOAA forecasters estimate a 60% chance of continued storming throughout the weekend.  Sign up for aurora alerts at http://spaceweathertext.com (text) or http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

Electric Blue Clouds over Antarctica

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 29, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

NASA's AIM spacecraft has spotted electric-blue clouds forming over Antarctica.  These are noctilucent clouds (NLCs) and their apparition marks the beginning of the 2014-2015 season for southern NLCs.  By the second week of December, Antarctica could be blanketed in electric blue.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.

Aurora season begins, NLC season ends

Source - Space Weather News for Aug. 31, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

Aurora season is now fully underway around the Arctic circle.  With the end of northern summer approaching, dancing green lights are beaming through the deepening polar twilight on a regular basis. Unlike lower latitudes, the Arctic does not require a full-fledged geomagnetic storm for aurora sightings. 

Check the latest images on the front page of http://spaceweather.com

Meanwhile, another polar phenomenon is on the wane: noctilucent clouds (NLCs).  Data from NASA's AIM spacecraft suggest that the northern summer season for NLCs ended on or about August 26th.  The "noctilucent daisy" shown on http://spaceweather.com will probably remain blank until November, when NLC activity shifts to the southern hemisphere.  NLCs are a summertime phenomenon and they switch back and forth between the hemispheres accordingly.  Stay tuned for more electric blue ... in a few months.

Noctilucent Outburst

Source - Space Weather News for July 3, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

NOCTILUCENT OUTBURST: For the past two nights, observers in many European countries have seen bright electric-blue noctilucent clouds after sunset.  The display on July 3rd appears to be the best of the year so far, and would seem to herald even more widespread sightings in the nights ahead, not only in Europe but also in North America.  For pictures and observing tips, please visit http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR FLARE ALERTS: A large sunspot is transiting the face of the sun.  Could this lead to 4th of July fireworks? X-flare alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

Unexpected Teleconnections in Noctilucent Clouds

Source - NASA Science News for April 16, 2014

NASA's AIM spacecraft is discovering unexpected "teleconnections" in Earth's atmosphere that link weather and climate across vast distances.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/16apr_teleconnections/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d3t1_l4bcw



License: Standard YouTube License

Electric Blue Clouds Appear Over Antarctica

NASA Science News for Dec. 23, 2013

A vast bank of electric-blue clouds has appeared over Antarctica, signaling the start of the season for southern hemisphere noctilucent clouds.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/23dec_antarctica/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHpxD807kM4




License: Standard YouTube License

Noctilucent Clouds Get an Early Start

Source - NASA Science News for June 7, 2013

Noctilucent clouds have surprised researchers by appearing early this year. The unexpected apparition of electric-blue night-shining clouds hints at a change in the "teleconnections" of Earth's atmosphere.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/07jun_nlcs/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohQzHz9gy6c




License: Standard YouTube License

'Meteor Smoke' Linked to Noctilucent Clouds

Source - NASA Science News for August 8, 2012

A key ingredient of Earth's strangest clouds does not come from Earth. New data from NASA's AIM spacecraft shows that "meteor smoke" is essential to the formation of noctilucent clouds.

The full story can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/07aug_meteorsmoke/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzs9ZOsjF-c