Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere

Hello there! So you know how there's this thing called the atmosphere, which is like a big blanket of air around the Earth? Well, there's a special part of the atmosphere that's high up called the mesosphere. In the mesosphere it's super cold, but there's something really interesting that happens up there - ice forms!

Now, this isn't just regular ice like you might find on the ground or in your drink. It's actually a special kind of ice made up of tiny particles called "meteoric smoke." These particles come from outer space and when they hit the Earth's atmosphere they create a reaction that causes ice to form.

This ice is called "noctilucent" or "night-shining" because it's so high up that even though the sun has set on the ground, it's still shining on the ice in the mesosphere. And it's also super pretty to look at!

But why do we care about this ice? Well, scientists study it to learn more about the atmosphere and how it works. They're especially interested in studying the aeronomy of ice in the mesosphere, which means how the ice interacts with the air and other particles up there.

By studying noctilucent clouds, as they're called, scientists can learn more about how the atmosphere is affected by things like climate change and changes in solar activity. And all of this information can help us better understand our planet and how we can protect it for the future.