Noctilucent Cloud Season 2024

[Jamie M]

It's May and nearly time for NLCs to reappear once again.

A few helpful links I've collated:

IAP MLS temperature data at 54.1N - https://alomar.andoyaspace.no/rmrlidar/html/auramls/index.html

Mesopause temperature over the UK - https://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/~hcp/meso_ts/

MAARSY Mesosphere radar - https://www.iap-kborn.de/en/research/department-radar-remote-sensing/current-radar-observations/maarsy-mesosphere/

OSWIN Mesophere radar - https://www.iap-kborn.de/en/research/department-radar-remote-sensing/current-radar-observations/oswin-mesosphere/

NLC Camera Map that I made - https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/edit?mid=1qhdX7mj7eciDYjZF61LU9zYDCNwdDzA&usp=sharing

IAP NLC camera network - https://www.iap-kborn.de/en/research/department-optical-soundings-and-sounding-rockets/instruments-and-models/nlc-cameras/overview/

German NLC forum - https://forum.meteoros.de/viewforum.php?f=34

German NLC website with lots of information/links and previous sightings to 1885 - http://www.leuchtende-nachtwolken.info/

German website with information about previous NLC sightings in Rostock, Germany & links - https://3sky.de/

Czech website for monitoring NLCs with previous sightings - http://ukazy.astro.cz/nlc-monitor.php

NLC visibility map, allows you to put in long/lat for possible altitudes of NLCs at certain times of day - http://www.theusner.eu/terra/nlc/nlc_vis.php

Edited May 3, 2024 by Jamie M
Welsh MST radar link removed as permanently closed this April 

[Metwatch]

Thank for starting the thread up. Still a few weeks to go until the chance of the first sighting increases, find usually starts to ramp up right as meteorological summer begins. Hoping the summer isn't too cloudy / unsettled, especially from the mid June to early August period giving us more chances to see them.

Also a shame it looks like we won't have @mushymanrob with us this year unless he comes back which would be nice.

Edited May 3, 2024 by Metwatch

[Lt. Dan]

Been waiting for this thread to reappear. I hope we have a better season than last year, as that was quite disappointing overall. I am quite looking forward to those 3am mornings with a glorious overhead display  

[LeeKay/]

All it needs is Sir @Arnie Pie His contributions were and have been brilliant over the times this hemisphire

[Rush2019]

Brilliant.  @Jamie M  Thanks for starting the 2024 thread.  Not long now until I'm in the bedroom window like a meerkat scouring the northern skies.  2023 was dire, too many nights clouded out.

[Jamie M]

https://www-iap--kborn-de.translate.goog/fileadmin/user_upload/MAIN-abteilung/radar/Radars/OswinVHF/Plots/OSWIN_Mesosphere_4hour.png

The first echoes from the OSWIN radar at Kühlungsborn suggests that NLC development is underway

[Jamie M]

Possibly the first NLCs of the season at 52N, 14.6E at Bomsdorf in Germany at 01:13 UTC this morning.

NLC 2024-05-15/16 - AKM e.V. Forum

FORUM.METEOROS.DE

 

[Rush2019]

https://www.iap-kborn.de/en/research/department-radar-remote-sensing/current-radar-observations/maarsy-mesosphere/     Anyone have clear skies last night?  it certainly looked primed for a viewing once cloud cleared late on here in my neck of the woods.  No, I didn't see anything, I had a good look though.  Signals are getting stronger now on MAARSY.

Edited May 28, 2024 by Rush2019

[Jamie M]

 Rush2019

Nothing here under clear skies. NOAA 21 has apparently detected the first noctilucent clouds on the 26th of May 

There appears to have been some echoes on the OSWIN radar at Kühlungsborn today that stretch down to ~79 km which does seem to suggest things are spilling further south 

https://www-iap--kborn-de.translate.goog/fileadmin/user_upload/MAIN-abteilung/radar/Radars/OswinVHF/Plots/OSWIN_Mesosphere_4hour.png

[Jamie M]

It seems the Russian folks at Meteoweb.ru have pinned the first average visible date for mid-latitudes 10 days after satellite detection - we will see how that comes off. Nothing yet from ground observations 

This seems to roughly fit what was seen last year as NOAA-21 detected the first NLCs also on the 26th of May and the first observations were on the night of the 3rd of June

Aktuelle Situation an OSWIN & Co. NLC-Saison 2023 - Seite 9 - AKM e.V. Forum

FORUM.METEOROS.DE

 

Edited May 29, 2024 by Jamie M

[Jamie M]

First noctilucent clouds of the year from Russia are currently visible from Ust-Kust which sits at 56.8N 

[Sprites]

Paul Mortz 1st June East Yorks 

Edited June 1, 2024 by Sprites

[Southern Storm]

 Sprites And so it begins, I sense a few of us will be getting less sleep in the coming weeks! 

Also, there has been a few X class flares over the past few hours, how cool will it be to photograph NLCs and the aurora at the same time!

[Lt. Dan]

 Southern Storm NLCs and aurora in the same shot!…life mission complete. Time to find a new hobby

[Arnie Pie]

It`s looking to be a clear night for most, and with some faint signals this afternoon from both OSWIN and MAARSY at lower altitudes,
It's certainly worth a look out this evening

Happy hunting all

OSWIN - Mesosphäre - Forschung - Leibniz-Institut für Atmosphärenphysik, Kühlungsborn

WWW.IAP-KBORN.DE

 

[Jamie M]

NLCs are currently visible at Irbit (57.7N, 63E) 

[Sprites]

 Lt. Dan Just add the bright comet that's coming in the Autumn, some lightning, and gigantic jets. I expect someone could Photoshop all those together  

[Metwatch]

What is the earliest recorded or photographed NLC's in the UK?

I can't recall any displays before meteorological summer recently though maybe in the early 2010s there might have been? 

[Sprites]

 Metwatch The earliest is around the 23rd of May. 

And Usually June to early August. 

Edited June 2, 2024 by Sprites

[Arnie Pie]

Something behind the clouds at Flensburg....a good bet for the the morning twilight`s in my experience, if you have a clear slot at around 2.45am

Clouded out in Birmingham

Edited June 2, 2024 by Arnie Pie

[Rush2019]

Such rare clear sky last night, curtesy of the Arctic air mass aloft.  Couldn’t help but meerkat for a while at my bedroom window, didn't spot anything, European web cams quiet too.

[Arnie Pie]

Agreed...Irresistible skies last night...watched until the morning twilights...also nothing to report apart from our ever increasing 'Smut level'

[Arnie Pie]

5 days ago, the first official NLC`s were observed over the UK,in the early morning hours from N Yorkshire.
Tonight will be the first full rotation of the NLC`s around the pole.

IF the clouds have survived the 5 day migration, we should expect the same area of NLC`s to be over the UK tonight/ morning.

and the last 24 hrs of radar returns from the IAP have been encouraging.
 
However

With Nasa`s latest NOAA 21 plot already showing a fluctuation in the amount of visible clouds

Also being in the middle of a very angry Solar maximum at present it may be a big IF

Cloud cover permitting, I believe there will be a chance of a low altitude sighting

Happy hunting all

[Jamie M]

03:17 BST this morning, only seemed to show up from 03 BST onwards

[Arnie Pie]

After a dim showing at Flensburg just before 00.00, I had hope for a morning showing.

Alas we were totally clouded out by morning twilight

Edited June 7, 2024 by Arnie Pie