This image of electric blue noctilucent clouds was taken by astronaut Don Pettit while he was aboard the ISS.
Courtesy of Don Pettit and NASA TV

History of Observation of Noctilucent Clouds

Have you ever seen a noctilucent or "night-shining" cloud? Don't worry if you haven't - they are a fairly recent "discovery" in the world of science. Here's what we know!

The first reporting of these eerie clouds was made in the summer of 1885. The observations were made in northern Europe and Russia. The first photos of these clouds were taken in the late 1880’s.

In the early 1900’s, many scientists were trying to figure out what made these clouds form in the Earth's atmosphere. To figure this out, scientists started looking for these clouds more regularly - first in Europe in the late 1950's and in North America in the 1960's. The first rocket was launched into a noctilucent cloud in 1962.

In the more recent past, more observations made from the ground and satellites orbiting the Earth found that noctilucent clouds are mainly made of water ice. How they form exactly will be researched by the AIM satellite mission to be launched in 2006.

Crews aboard the International Space Station see noctilucent clouds while orbiting the Earth. You can be an observer of noctilucent clouds too and share that information with others on the Internet!

Last modified August 17, 2004 by Jennifer Bergman.

You might also be interested in:

Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

Noctilucent Clouds

There is a special kind of cloud that is found in the mesosphere, which is the third layer of the Earth's atmosphere. These clouds are called noctilucent clouds (NLC’s) or polar mesospheric clouds (PMC’s)....more

AIM Mission Overview

Do you know what the highest clouds in the atmosphere are called? Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMC’s)! These are very special clouds that form about 50 miles above the Earth! They are called Polar because...more

International Space Station

There is a large space station circling Earth right now. It is called the International Space Station (ISS for short). Astronauts live and work in the ISS. Sixteen countries, including the United States,...more

Rainbows

Rainbows appear in the sky when there is bright sunlight and rain. Sunlight is known as visible or white light and is actually a mixture of colors. The sun's rays pass through millions of raindrops. A...more

The Four Seasons

It takes the Earth one year to travel around the sun one time. During this year, there are four seasons: summer, autumn, winter, and spring. Each season depends on the amount of sunlight reaching the...more

Research Aircraft

Scientists sometimes travel in airplanes that carry weather instruments in order to gather data about the atmosphere. These research aircraft bring air from the outside into the plane so scientists can...more

Anemometer

An anemometer is a weather instrument used to measure the wind (it can also be called a wind gauge). These instruments can be used in a backyard weather station or on a well-equipped scientific research...more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA