SHILLONG, June 11: Residents of Mawlum Diengiei village in East Khasi Hills received a surprise recently when a radiosonde instrument fell in their village. The unexpected event left many villagers puzzled about the equipment that seemingly dropped from the sky.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) Meteorological Centre in Shillong later clarified the situation. They explained that the radiosonde instrument is released daily by their office located at 3rd Mile, Upper Shillong, as part of their routine weather monitoring activities.
Officials from the IMD reassured the public that the fallen equipment poses no danger. “Once it comes down, the equipment is of no use,” they stated, adding that it can be disposed of like any other waste material. The radiosonde contains only a few sensors and small batteries. Radiosondes are crucial for meteorological data collection. These battery-powered telemetry instruments are typically carried into the atmosphere by weather balloons. They measure various atmospheric parameters such as altitude, pressure, temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, and cosmic ray readings at high altitudes.
