ORACLES

ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their IntEractionS

past Mission

Type

Airborne Science

Launch

Aug. 19, 2016

Target

Earth

Objective

Study How Airborne Particles Change Cloud Properties

A five-year investigation to study the impacts of tiny airborne particles called aerosols, released from burning biomass in Africa, on regional and global climate.

ORACLES Stories

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Article

4 min read

NASA airborne mission returns to Africa to study smoke, clouds

4 min read

NASA airborne mission returns to Africa to study smoke, clouds

Article7 years ago

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The image is divided horizontally by an undulating line between a cloudscape forming a nebula along the bottom portion and a comparatively clear upper portion. Speckled across both portions is a starfield, showing innumerable stars of many sizes. The smallest of these are small, distant, and faint points of light. The largest of these appear larger, closer, brighter, and more fully resolved with 8-point diffraction spikes. The upper portion of the image is blueish, and has wispy translucent cloud-like streaks rising from the nebula below. The orangish cloudy formation in the bottom half varies in density and ranges from translucent to opaque. The stars vary in color, the majority of which have a blue or orange hue. The cloud-like structure of the nebula contains ridges, peaks, and valleys – an appearance very similar to a mountain range. Three long diffraction spikes from the top right edge of the image suggest the presence of a large star just out of view.

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