NASA AWE Instrument on the International Space Station Spots Something in the Atmosphere 55 Miles Above Earth | Space

When Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida’s coast on September 26^th, NASA says its Atmospheric Waves Instrument (AWE) spotted a surge of gravity waves 55 miles above Earth’s surface.

According to the space agency, the cutting-edge instrument mounted on the International Space Station (ISS) detected the flurry of gravity waves in the mesosphere as they tore their way up from the Earth’s surface due to the extreme forces generated by Helene.

In a statement announcing the detection, NASA said that gathering this specific type of high-altitude weather information with AWE “helps us better understand how terrestrial weather can affect space weather, [which is] part of the research NASA does to understand how our space environment can disrupt satellites, communication signals, and other technology.”

Along with the announcement, NASA provided a video showing the movement of the gravity waves as they passed over the Earth’s surface along the same path as Helene. For clarity, the gravity waves were artificially colored in red, yellow, and blue based on their respective size, power, and dispersion.

“Like rings of water spreading from a drop in a pond, circular waves from Helene are seen billowing westward from Florida’s northwest coast,” explained Ludger Scherliess, the AWE’s principal investigator at Utah State University, in the same…