The CERES FM6 instrument measures the solar energy absorbed and reflected by Earth, the heat the planet emits into space, and the role of clouds in that process.
Published Jan 26, 2018
NASA's newest Earth-observing satellite soars into space aboard a Delta II rocket, tasked with improving weather forecasts and continuing long-term climate records.
Published Oct 29, 2011
Atmospheric gases scatter blue wavelengths of visible light more than other wavelengths, giving the Earth’s visible edge a blue halo. At higher and higher altitudes, the atmosphere becomes so thin that it essentially ceases to exist. Gradually, the atmospheric halo fades into the blackness of space. This astronaut photograph captured on July 20, 2006, shows a nearly translucent moon emerging from behind the halo.
Published Feb 2, 2007
The global picture of how Earth reflects sunlight is a muddle, though several regional trends emerge.
Published Oct 21, 2014
With just a few clicks of a camera and a mouse, you can contribute to research that will help atmospheric scientists better understand how clouds affect climate.
Published Nov 5, 2014
Polar mesospheric clouds (also known as noctilucent, or “night-shining” clouds) are transient, upper atmospheric phenomena that are usually observed in the summer months at high latitudes (greater than 50 degrees) of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. They appear bright and cloudlike while in deep twilight. They are illuminated by sunlight when the lower layers of the atmosphere are in the darkness of Earth’s shadow.
Published Aug 4, 2008
Noctilucent or “night shining” clouds form near the boundary of the mesosphere and thermosphere.
Published Jan 21, 2013
