Space Cloud Watch – A NASA Heliophysics Citizen Science Project

The mesosphere, a gateway region that couples the troposphere to geospace provides rich visual clues to the dynamic processes that control this region in the form of Noctilucent Clouds (NLCs) or Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs; when viewed from space). NLCs have been mainly observed in the high latitude summer mesosphere. However, recent studies indicate that these clouds have become brighter and more frequently observed at mid-latitudes and even at low latitudes. Occurrences of mid-latitude NLC have been explained by various causes including a changing climate and increase in rocket launches leading to increase in water vapor. However, comprehensive study of dynamical influences on mid-latitude NLC occurrences are missing and still not fully understood.

The overall objective of this study is to understand the occurrence of mid and low latitude NLCs in terms of the role of gravity waves (GWs) and planetary waves (PWs) in influencing the local mesospheric environment. Mid- and Low- latitude clouds do not occur as frequently as high latitude clouds (although increasing over the years) and therefore any unique temperature, water vapor, and dynamics will stand out from the environment that generally does not support NLC formation.

‘Space Cloud Watch’ is a citizen science project to (1) collect and analyze NLC images and (2) connect observed NLC to the mesospheric environment in which they form. Your observations -both of NLCs and their absence- are of immense value to our research on the mesospheric environment and how it is changing. Please share your reports of NLC sightings and images through our project website at https://citsci.org/projects/space-cloud-watch/.