This weekend heroes assembled at the @ncar-ucar.bsky.social Mesa Lab for an action-packed day of science and fun! Thank you to everyone who joined us for Super Science Saturday—we had incredible weather and a super turnout from our community. 💥

Join us at CSU Spur in Denver this Friday November 7th for the Colorado Science Conference!

Undergraduate opportunity! 📣 The NSF SOARS program is open for applications! SOARS is an undergrad-grad bridge program focusing on promoting and supporting research, mentoring, and community. Learn more about eligibility and the app process: ucar.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UCAR_C...

Super Science Saturday is tomorrow from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm at the NSF NCAR Mesa Lab. scied.ucar.edu/visit/ncar/s...

Check out our new classroom activity "Shocking Lightning Science", designed for upper elementary and middle school!

Calling all K-12 educators! We're excited to announce our new professional development opportunities for the 2025-2026 school year!

Grab your capes, superheroes! 🦸‍♀️ Super Science Saturday is coming up in #BoulderCO, and it’s sure to be a day of science and fun for the whole family! Big thank you to @ucarscied.bsky.social for hosting this event!

Our NCAR Mesa Lab in #Boulder is CLOSED to the public tomorrow and Sunday for building maintenance. However, our parking lot and trails are still open for visitors to enjoy. Our free exhibits + tours will reopen Monday.

Ready for an adventure, perfect for classrooms or home learning? 🎲 In our Nitrogen Cycle Game, you will take on the role of nitrogen and explore how it moves through Earth's systems. Roll the dice to discover where your journey takes you! scied.ucar.edu/interactive/...

For centuries people looked up and wondered what’s really above us. The discovery of the atmosphere wasn’t a single “eureka” moment—it was centuries of curiosity and courage, from mountain climbs to balloon flights that reached the edge of space. ☁️

The NCAR Mesa Lab in #Boulder, including the Visitor Center and exhibits, will be closed on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 18-19, for scheduled building maintenance. The parking lot and trail access will remain open through the weekend. The building will reopen on Monday, Oct. 20.

What causes clouds to form? In some cases, mountains are the answer! When wind blows up over a mountain range, the air rises and cools, and eventually enough moisture will condense out of the air to form a cloud. This results in lenticular clouds (picture 1) and stratus clouds (picture 2)!

What an incredible Homeschool Day! Last week families visited the NCAR Mesa Lab for a day full of curiosity, creativity, and connection.

Looking for fun ways to spark discovery and learning at home? 🌟 Our STEM at Home page offers hands-on activities that use everyday items to explore the world around us!

Suit up, scientists in training! 🥼 Super Science Saturday is just around the corner on November 1st from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm at the NSF NCAR Mesa Lab in Boulder, CO. Heroes unite to harness the superpowers of science!

What does it mean when an ozone alert is issued?

Next week members of our team are excited to attend and present at the Smithsonian Affiliations Virtual Conference! Tuesday afternoon we will be giving a presentation on building a network of community-centered ozone bioindicator gardens to help create a healthier future.

HEROES ASSEMBLE! 🦸 Calling all nerds to attend this year's Super Science Saturday on Saturday, November 1st at the @ncar-ucar.bsky.social Mesa Lab. Become a hero for science and use your knowledge superpowers to explore our natural world at this year's event. No cape required and the event is free.

When you are in Boulder - Come check this out!! @ncar-ucar.bsky.social @ucarscied.bsky.social www.dailycamera.com/2025/09/02/n...

Interested in one of our award-winning field trips but can't come in person? Good news! We offer virtual options as well, all you need to participate is a computer, webcam, and internet access. We bring the science to you!

This weekend, members of our team will be attending and presenting at the @sciencecenters.bsky.social Association of Science and Technology Centers 2025 Annual Conference in the San Francisco Bay Area!

Back to school means it's time to dive into hands-on science! Our Feeling the Heat classroom activity helps students explore the urban heat island effect right outside their school doors. First, students investigate which areas of the schoolyard are warmer.

What does a scientist Look like? They look like anyone! Stop by the NSF NCAR Mesa Lab Visitor Center to check out our recently updated installation and learn about some of the fascinating careers and projects of the @ncar-ucar.bsky.social community.

Spring 2026 field trips reservations are open! Whether your class wants to join us in-person or virtually, we offer free, interactive, programs that bring science to life and help students, PreK-12, explore the world around them! scied.ucar.edu/visit/ncar-f...

From improving storm warnings to enhancing wildfire forecasts, research plays a critical role in protecting lives & communities. For the next few weeks, we’re sharing how publicly funded research benefits everyday Americans. Follow along & reshare: researchworks.ucar.edu

The dense ball of gas at the center of our solar system, our Sun, is pretty impressive. Brush up on your Sun knowledge with these quick facts (1/3)

Science exploration doesn't always happen in classrooms, sometimes it's in kitchens! Check out our Cooking up a Storm series to see how basic kitchen tools and ingredients can be used to explore Earth science at home. You might be surprised by the connections to our planet and Sun!

It’s a royally radiant glow up!☀️ The newly revitalized Sun-Earth Connections exhibit is back and better than ever, complete with interactive games and tactile elements that are both engaging and educational! Learn more from our friends @ucarscied.bsky.social & stop by our Visitor Center!

Most thunderstorms go through three different stages as they form! With the right conditions, what starts as a puffy cumulus cloud can turn into a towering cumulonimbus and even a thunderstorm cell. Want to learn more about the stages of thunderstorms and how they form? Check out our Learning Zone!

We’re rolling out the sunshine yellow carpet for our newly renovated and enlightening Sun-Earth Connections exhibit at the Mesa Lab Visitor Center! ☀️➡️🌎 #MesaLabMonday 🧵

Wildfire risk, especially in the Western U.S., is a growing concern, but researchers are developing and using models to help predict and understand wildfire behavior. Models allow researchers to use large sets of data to run different scenarios of a wildfire event.

Air pollution doesn't just form a haze on the horizon, what we breathe has a direct impact on our health too. While modern developments have made life easier and more convenient in many ways, they also contribute to conditions that harm the environment and our well-being.

Have you heard of urban heat islands (UHIs)? While the name might make you think of a tropical getaway, urban heat islands are a very different kind of island.

What has @ncar-ucar.bsky.social done for you? A public tour of the Mesa Lab is a great way to get to know our impact. Our research has been protecting lives and property across the United States since the 1960s, and we'd love to tell you about it!

What are the conditions that lead to a thunderstorm? What is storm intensity? Make a virtual severe thunderstorm on our website to test your knowledge about a thunderstorm's recipe scied.ucar.edu/interactive/...

💦Dive into the Mesa Lab’s latest community art show “Exploring Water through Art” on display in our cafe thru Oct! The show explores the ways that water has many forms+facets: nurturing yet dangerous; soothing yet tempestuous. Featured art includes textile art to paintings and more!

Have you ever wondered if plants can "see" air pollution before we do? 🌿👀 The National Ozone Garden Network features gardens from across the U.S. that are growing ozone-sensitive bioindicator plants that are sensitive to ground-level ozone and can show visible signs of damage from poor air quality.

Have you ever counted the seconds between a lightning flash and hearing thunder? You're not alone! And there's real science behind that instinct, because lightning causes thunder! ⚡

Looking for ways to bring real-world science and data analysis into the classroom? Check out "Using ArcGIS to Analyze Storm Story Data Geospatially"! scied.ucar.edu/hurricane-re...

Most tornadoes form during supercell thunderstorms—the strongest type of thunderstorm—but not all supercells produce tornadoes. So what makes the difference? The key lies in atmospheric conditions.

This year has been very active for tornadoes so far, depending on where you live. Tornado Alley is rightly named because it has the highest average number of tornadoes each year. So, which two states top the list? Test your knowledge on our Learning Zone quiz: scied.ucar.edu/learning-zon...

Happy first day of summer! As the days get longer and we spend more time outside, it’s important be ready for whatever the weather brings—like summer afternoon thunderstorms. Do you know what to do when lightning is in the forecast?

Last call for our K12 Teacher Professional Development Workshop, next Tuesday, June 24. Lunch is included in the cost. We are so excited to connect with local educators and provide tools to teach about Earth system science in your classroom! scied.ucar.edu/educators/te... #ScienceTeachers #BoulderCO

Have you ever wondered why coastal areas tend to have milder seasonal temperature variation, while places farther inland experience more extreme heat and cold? It’s thanks to the ocean’s considerable thermal inertia, its ability to absorb heat slowly and release it just as gradually.

Summer field trips to the NSF NCAR Mesa Lab are in full swing! Kids will learn about Earth’s extraordinary atmosphere and how changes in the air impact plants, animals, and humans. We still have a few spots open for summer or fall 2025. All our field trips are FREE!

We are one month away from our summer teacher workshop, "Planet Earth: Wonder, Awe, & Rejuvenation". K-12 teachers in the Colorado front-range area are invited to join us on Tuesday, June 24, from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm MT.

Our next Explorer Series event combines art and science to explore the changes in Arctic marine ecosystems. Join us on June 4 at 7PM MST to hear more from Courtney Payne and NSF NCAR’s Anna Lindemann about the intersection of art & science. Reserve your spot: www.eventsquid.com/event.cfm?id...

Are you seeing May flowers from April showers? Or are your May flowers endangered by hailstorms? 🌷 Hail is born in a storm cloud when a small piece of ice collides with a supercooled water droplet, which freezes on the ice's surface and forms a microscopic hailstone. (1/2)

Happy National Pun Day! Are you stratus-fied with your cloud knowledge? Want to learn even more? Check out our Learning Zone for some cirrus-ly cool cloud facts, the sky is the limit!☁️ scied.ucar.edu/learning-zon...

🚨FINAL CALL🚨 There’s still time to share your thoughts and help shape the Learning Zone! We want your feedback on our teaching resources. Fill out the quick survey by May 15, 2025 and be entered to win a $50 Visa gift card. Don’t miss your chance to make an impact! scied.ucar.edu/lzsurvey