+ Visit NASA.gov + Advanced Search   + About the Server   + Animation List   + How to Use the Server   + RSS Feeds   + Podcasts   + Opportunities Previous Animation Next Animation Noctilucent Cloud Animation Because of their high altitude, near the edge of space, noctilucent clouds shine at night when the Sun's rays hit them from below while the lower atmosphere is bathed in darkness. Also known as Polar Mesospheric Clouds or PMCs, they typically form in the cold, summer polar mesosphere and are made of water ice crystals. In April 2007 the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) Mission was launched with the express purpose of studying noctilucent clouds.    Because of their high altitude, near the edge of space, noctilucent clouds shine at night when the Sun's rays hit them from below while the lower atmosphere is bathed in darkness. Also known as Polar Mesospheric Clouds or PMCs, they typically form in the cold, summer polar mesosphere and are made of water ice crystals. In April 2007 the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) Mission was launched with the express purpose of studying noctilucent clouds. Duration: 23.0 seconds Available formats:   720x480 (30 fps) Frames   720x480 (29.97 fps) QT         277 MB   352x240 (29.97 fps) MPEG-1   2 MB   150x111     JPEG         2 KB   75x55         JPEG         1 KB   320x238     JPEG         6 KB   720x480 (29.97 fps) QT         277 MB How to play our movies Animation Number: 10002 Completed: 2003-03-15 Animator: Susan Twardy (HTSI) (Lead) Scientist: Mike Stevens (NRL) Writer: Michael McClare (HTSI) Goddard TV Tape: G2003-013 Keywords: SVS >> Byrne SVS >> Clouds SVS >> Gonnelli SVS >> Noctilucent SVS >> Shuttle GCMD >> Location >> Polar GCMD >> Location >> Mesosphere SVS >> AIM SVS >> Noctilucent Clouds     Please give credit for this item to NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab Back to Top + Privacy Policy and Important Notices + Reproduction Guidelines NASA Official: Content Contact: Curator: