NASA is asking people to look up at the sky this fall and help scientists determine how accurately a satellite can measure clouds from space.

The PACE Clouds Challenge will run from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, with participants using the GLOBE Observer app to photograph clouds as NASA’s PACE satellite passes over their location. Scientists will compare those ground-based observations with measurements collected by the satellite, with particular interest in cloud edges and total cloud cover. 

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The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission launched in February 2024 to study Earth’s atmosphere and oceans. Among other things, the satellite measures aerosols, which are tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere, as well as microscopic organisms called phytoplankton that float in the ocean.

PACE also gives scientists a detailed look at clouds. The satellite measures how clouds and aerosols interact with sunlight, providing information that researchers can use to study cloud cover, cloud types and the role clouds and aerosols play in Earth’s climate.

That’s where observations from people on the ground can help. It can be difficult for scientists to determine exactly where clouds begin and end in satellite imagery, particularly when clouds are broken up or have distinct edges. Photos taken from the ground give researchers another way to check what the satellite is seeing and evaluate how accurately it is identifying clouds.

Get the app, share your photos

Taking part is simple.

Download the GLOBE Observer app, go outside, and snap six photos of the clouds from different directions as the PACE satellite is passing overhead. The app can alert you when PACE is expected to pass over your location. 

Depending on when PACE passes over your location, there may be opportunities to take part more than once in a day.

Your cloud observations in visible light are combined with the hyperspectral data from instruments on PACE to give scientists a better view of the oceans and atmosphere.

After an observation is submitted, participants may receive a satellite image showing what PACE was seeing at roughly the same time. People who complete an observation during the designated window and submit all six photos can also receive a certificate, with additional badges available for those who participate on consecutive days.

The PACE Clouds Challenge is part of the broader GLOBE citizen-science program, which allows people to collect environmental observations that can be used alongside scientific measurements.

The PACE Clouds Challenge runs Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. ⁠Learn more about the PACE Clouds Challenge