Presenter: James Morley
Authors: James Morley, Kim Nielsen
Faculty Advisor: Kim Nielsen
Institution: Utah Valley University
Atmospheric gravity waves are disturbances in the atmosphere and near-space environments caused by displacement of air in stable environment. These waves transport energy away from the source of the disturbance and can transfer large amounts of energy between atmospheric regions through wave dissipation. One of the regions of most energy transfer is the mesopause region, in the transition between the Earth's atmosphere and the near-space environment. This is a region that is difficult to observe, but the presence of certain atoms and molecules allows for remote sensing of faint emissions named airglow. As the waves passes through the airglow, they leave a signature that is detectable by specialized cameras. We have developed a network of cameras to image airglow in regions of interest. The cameras must run autonomously and be controllable from remote locations. Airglow is most easily detectable at night when the angle between the sun and the horizon is less than -12 degrees. To prevent recording useless data our system will predict, based on time of day and location of the camera, when the next observation time will be. To automate the cameras, we have developed a python script that implements the Instrument-Neutral Distributed Interface, a protocol made to control many different astronomical devices. By integrating our python script with various web technologies, we will be able to collect data from multiple cameras dispersed across the globe. We expect that developing this system will lead to greater collaboration in gravity wave research, and an increased understanding as to how Earth's topographical features affect gravity wave formation. This presentation describes the conceptual design of the camera, details the control system, and presents data obtained with the system.