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Night-shining cloud season begins in Antarctica

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December 1, 2014

Noctilucent clouds over Antarctica as seen by NASA's AIM spacecraft. Image via Spaceweather.com — Noctilucent clouds over Antarctica as seen in November, 2014 by NASA’s AIM spacecraft.

We spotted this cool image at the great website Spaceweather.com on Thanksgiving weekend (November 27-30, 2014). The photo shows that NASA’s AIM spacecraft detected noctilucent clouds – sometimes called night-shining clouds – over Antarctica this November. That’s right on schedule. It’s summertime in the Southern Hemisphere now, and these clouds are typically seen at high latitudes in the summer. Their apparition marks the beginning of the 2014-2015 season in Earth’s Southern Hemisphere for these silver-blue clouds.

The secrets of night-shining clouds

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December 1, 2014

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Deborah Byrd

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Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.