Polar stratospheric clouds or PSCs, also known as nacreous clouds (/ˈneɪkriː.əs/, from nacre, or mother of pearl, due to its iridescence), are clouds in the winter polar stratosphere at altitudes of 15,000–25,000 meters (49,000–82,000 ft). They are best observed during civil twilight when the sun is between 1 and 6 degrees below the horizon. They are implicated in the formation of ozone holes.
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By Peter Kimball Yesterday evening, Britney came into the office and excitedly asked "have you guys seen what's going on outside?" Exiting the lab building, we were greeted by a spectacle that I'd heard about, and very much hoped to see during these early weeks: nacreous clouds. Also called polar stratospheric clouds, these clouds are very beautiful and very interesting. From their Wikipedia entry: I had hoped we'd see these at some point before darkness leaves us altogether. I did not expect we'd see them six hours after getting here! Between the epic C-17 flight, our arrival on station, and seeing these clouds, we will remember yesterday for quite some time.
6 Comments
Jim Gilchrist
8/31/2015 09:47:55 pm
Awesome! Thanks for sharing this with us.
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Pamela
9/1/2015 01:14:46 am
Beautiful photos!! So glad you got to have the experience!
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Amanda Watts
9/2/2015 10:01:19 am
I am so excited to follow your expedition! I have passed this blog along to a few teachers. You should have several young scientists in the making following you as well. :)
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Peter
9/3/2015 01:11:59 am
Awesome! Glad you're following along, and really glad to hear about those students! Thanks for sharing!
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Kristof
9/3/2015 12:19:48 am
Aurora?
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Peter
9/3/2015 01:14:48 am
Haven't seen any Aurora yet, but we've all sworn solemnly that we'll wake each other if we ever do. Every night is shorter than the last, but we're still hopeful.
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ARTEMIS is part of the SIMPLE project, supported by NASA ASTEP.
About the BlogThis is the personal blog of Peter Kimball and Evan Clark, following our deployment with the ARTEMIS long-range underwater robotic vehicle to explore beneath the McMurdo Ice Shelf in Antarctica.
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