Skip to content

Surprising Science — December 21, 2009

Night Shining

A satellite has captured images of “night-shining clouds”, which form at high altitudes and glow after night falls, and NASA has used them to create a new map of the formations.

“A NASA satellite has created a new map of so-called ‘night-shining clouds,’ which form at high altitudes on Earth and glow even after the sun sets. These mysterious clouds, also called noctilucent clouds or Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs), appear about 50 miles (80 km) above Earth’s surface during the summer of each hemisphere — from late May through late August in the north, and from late November to late February in the south. NASA’s Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite has captured five complete polar seasons of noctilucent cloud coverage, showing that they can quickly form and disperse, and that they are highly dependent on weather systems. ‘The AIM findings have altered our previous understanding of why PMCs form and vary,’ said AIM principal investigator James Russell III of Hampton University in Virginia. ‘We have captured the brightest clouds ever observed and they display large variations in size and structure signifying a great sensitivity to the environment in which the clouds form.’”

Related

View of a cityscape through a large glass window framed by steel beams, showcasing high-rise buildings burdened with debt under an overcast sky.

How we all got into debt

Consumer debt shapes American lives so thoroughly that it seems eternal and immortal, but it’s actually relatively new to the financial world.

Three men looking at a smartphone and laughing, embodying everyday philosophy, with two faded figures and a sketch of a thinker with a question mark.

Everyday Philosophy: “Should I disinvite my bigoted friend from group trips?”

You've got to know when to fight and when to laugh.

A black and white image of Isaiah Berlin.

Do you try to avoid your boss? For Isaiah Berlin that’s a big problem

Leadership evasion might seem like a plan for workplace freedom but it isn't a good thing — it's a denial of opportunity.

universe temperature

Starts With A Bang

How the cosmic microwave background proves the Big Bang

In the 20th century, many options abounded as to our cosmic origins. Today, only the Big Bang survives, thanks to this critical evidence.

A realistic illustration of earth in space, bathed in sunlight with a visible blue glow from the GaiaSignatures atmosphere.

Gaiasignatures: A new way to search for alien life

"I hope we take a mindset where we are willing to look for weird life in weird places."

Up Next

Surprising Science

Scientists paid a load of young people to get drunk and then analysed the results to find out which alcoholic beverages produced the worst hangover – with interesting results!