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At the boundary where Earth's atmosphere
meets space, an ethereal glow holds clues

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to how weather on our planet interacts
with weather in space.

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To investigate NASA's new Atmospheric

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Waves Experiment or
AWE mission is studying waves

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passing through these colorful bands
of light known as airglow.

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The waves occur naturally
when dramatic weather events

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such as thunderstorms,
hurricanes and tornadoes

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push pockets of air upward
before gravity pulls the air back down.

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These ripples in the air
are called atmospheric gravity waves.

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Though these waves are normally invisible
to the human eye,

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they can often be seen as distinct
patterns in clouds.

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As atmospheric
gravity waves travel upward,

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they can grow and reach
all the way to near-Earth space.

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There, they contribute to space weather -
an exchange of energy

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between the Sun and Earth
that can disrupt satellites

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along with navigation and communication
signals that travel through this region.

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Attached to the International
Space Station,

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AWE can observe these waves
around the world by recording

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fluctuations in the brightness of airglow
as waves pass through it.

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By taking one image
every second as it orbits Earth,

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all will provide the first global
measurements of atmospheric gravity waves,

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revealing where and when they occur,
how they travel and transfer energy,

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and how they vary from season to season
or across the globe.

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Little is known about the distribution
and effects of atmospheric gravity waves,

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but through NASA's AWE mission, scientists
hope to understand more

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about how Earth's weather
can impact the space environment.