The objective of this research is to study the structure and dynamics of the equatorial and low latitude nighttime ionosphere. Ground based optical images will be made of field-aligned transequatorial plasma bubbles by means of the recombination emission of the plasma. Previous observations have shown the evening perturbations of the bottomside F-layer, followed by their rise and east ward drift through the layer. Physical processes to be followed studied include the initial seeding of depletions and the dynamics that produces the tilting and shearing motions of long-lived plasma depletions.
