Noctilucent or night-shining clouds are rare, high-altitude clouds that glow with a blue silvery hue at dusk or dawn when the sun shines on them from below the horizon. These ice clouds typically occur near the north and south poles but are increasingly being reported at mid- and low latitudes. Observing them helps scientists better understand how human activities may affect our atmosphere.

Now, the Space Cloud Watch project is asking you to report your own observations of noctilucent clouds and upload your own photographs. Combined with satellite data and model simulations, your data can help us figure out why these noctilucent clouds are suddenly appearing at mid-low latitudes, where temperatures are usually too warm for them to form.

 “I find these clouds fascinating and can’t wait to see the amazing pictures,” said project lead Dr. Chihoko Cullens from the University of Colorado, Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. 

Did you see or photograph any night-shining clouds? Upload them here. Later, the science team will transfer them to a site on the Zooniverse platform where you or other volunteers can help examine them and identify wave structures in the cloud images.

If you love clouds, NASA has more citizen science projects for you. Try Cloudspotting on Mars, Cloudspotting on Mars: Shapes, or GLOBE Observer Clouds!

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