Measuring the seeds of noctilucent clouds
Thursday, April 4, 2013 - 06:31
in Astronomy & Space
(Phys.org) —A constant stream of space debris flows toward Earth from the rest of the solar system. Large meteors can sometimes survive the intense friction and heat upon entering Earth's atmosphere, but by and large the meteors evaporate and reform into tiny particles that are left to whiz through the atmosphere. Such particles are so light and so ubiquitous that scientists refer to them as smoke. Tracking how this smoke swirls around Earth has implications for understanding weather and climate patterns, including – scientists believe – the formation of a polar phenomenon of glowing clouds known as noctilucent clouds.