About the NE NLCOG

Conception and History

The idea for the North East Noctilucent Cloud Observer's Group came as a flash of inspiration. I've always been fascinated by NLCs ever since 1994 when I was fifteen. It was only a few hours to go until myself, my parents and grandparents were going on holiday. I got up to go to the toilet and looked out of our north-facing sitting room window. Up in the sky was a beautiful gold and blue cloud which was intensely rippled and very bright. I rushed upstairs and looked through my astronomy books to find out what the cloud was. I eventually found the phenomena under "Noctilucent Clouds". I sat up for another two hours and watched the display. It was beautiful and has stuck in my mind ever since. I only had an hour's sleep that night but it was worth it. From there my lifelong passion in NLC was ignited.

After observing many displays over the years I really wanted to know what these clouds really were apart from the usual description of "high altitude clouds composed of ice crystals possibly nucleated around meteoric debris which shine at night due to their altitude". I obtained a copy of the NLC bible "Noctilucent Clouds" by Gadsden and Schröder and read on from there. By this time I had been a long serving member of Sunderland Astronomical Society . It turned out that the influential and groundbreaking Sunderland astronomer-meteorologist (and a personal hero!), and one of the major reasons for the formation of the astronomical society, Thomas William Backhouse, was the first person to observe and record the phenomena of NLCs in 1885 from West Hendon House in Sunderland. Coupled with a distinct lack of any real amateur research groups dealing solely with NLC, especially for the triangulation of NLC, I decided to try and form an observing group, initially composed of interested members from Sunderland Astronomical Society.

After toying with the idea for several months, and thinking it is a crazy idea which no one will be interested in, I announced my intentions at a general meeting of the astronomical society in June 2001. I was overwhelmed by the response and 12 members of the society signed up to be the first members of the fledgling group. From that night on I have worked on and off through my Masters and now my PhD, developing the observing guides, leaflets and the group web site. I think the greatest task was choosing a name for the group. The name I chose, the North East Noctilucent Cloud Observer's Group (NE NLCOG) reflected the fact that the group was born in the North East of England, its initial members and myself are from the North East, and as a tribute to T.W. Backhouse. However I hope that the group will become a countrywide and hopefully, in the future (though how far I am not sure!), a European and even worldwide organisation. There are now 16 members in total (including myself), all members of the astronomical society, but I am hoping that when my web site goes on line more people from all over the country will join. If you are reading this then you are obviously interested so why not take the plunge? Trust me you'll love NLCs!.

Aims of the NE NLCOG

The NE NLCOG has three specific aims. These are:

1) To act as a central repository for the storage and analysis of NLC data.

2) To link NLC observers together and act as a communication channel for the passage of information, ideas, results and general news.

3) To produce scientific level analyses of NLC data obtained by members following the NE NLCOG observing program, hence providing data on the altitude, velocities and directions of observed NLC to aid in mesospheric research.