Tag: observes

  • NASA Balloon Observes Rare Electric Blue Clouds

    NASA Balloon Observes Rare Electric Blue Clouds

    On the cusp of our atmosphere live a thin group of seasonal electric blue clouds. Read the story: https://go.nasa.gov/2QPcrOD
    Forming fifty miles above the poles in summer, these clouds are known as noctilucent clouds or polar mesospheric clouds — PMCs. A recent NASA long-duration balloon mission observed these clouds over the course of five days at their home in the mesosphere. The resulting photos, which scientists have just begun to analyze, will help us better understand turbulence in the atmosphere, as well as in oceans, lakes, and other planetary atmospheres, and may even improve weather forecasting.

    Music credit: “In The End” By Andrew John Skeet [PRS], Andrew Michael Britton [PRS], David Stephen Goldsmith [PRS] from Killer Tracks
    Credits: David Fritts (GATS): Scientist
    Joy Ng (USRA): Producer
    Mara Johnson-Groh (Wyle Information Systems): Writer Tom Bridgman (GST): Data Visualizer
    William Putman (NASA/GSFC): Data Visualizer

    This video is public domain and along with other supporting visualizations can be downloaded from the Scientific Visualization Studio at: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13073

  • NASA Observes World Water Day

    NASA Observes World Water Day

    On March 22, NASA will observe World Water Day. While our home planet is about 71 percent water, only 3 percent of that is available as fresh water. And many people do not have access to safe and clean water sources. On a water planet like Earth, “following the water” is a massive undertaking but one that is essential to predicting the future of our climate and the availability of water resources around the globe