CIPS

The CIPS instrument is a panoramic imager that measures ultraviolet radiation scattered by Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs) and atmospheric gases. The instrument consists of four identical cameras that image the atmosphere to determine when and where PMCs appear, their brightness, and the size of their particles. From 2007 through February of 2016 images were acquired every 43 seconds in the summer hemisphere between the terminator and a dayside latitude of about 40 degrees. Since February of 2016 images have been acquired at all sunlit latitudes. There are ~15 orbits per day, and ~20–30 four-camera images per orbit. In addition to PMCs, CIPS measures gravity waves (GWs) near the stratopause.