Weather Balloon

atmosphere · science tools · weather · exploration

Latex bubbles with helium. Weather balloons are made of stretchy latex and filled with helium or hydrogen gas to float super high into the sky, sometimes reaching the stratosphere where most airplanes cannot go.

Tiny measuring robot. A small device called a radiosonde hangs from the balloon and measures temperature, humidity, air pressure, and wind speed as it travels upward.

Invented way back. Scientists first created weather balloons in the late 1800s, and meteorologists around Europe, North America, and Asia still use them today to predict weather and study the atmosphere.

Tracked from below. Scientists on the ground track where the balloon goes using radar, GPS, or radio signals so they know what winds are pushing it and how high it has climbed.

Cloud height detective. Some weather balloons don't carry instruments but instead help scientists figure out how tall clouds are and which direction upper-level winds are blowing.