Dr. · Climate data researcher · Bandung
Laras Wibisono
I read the haze over Bandung from starlight. Since 2009 I have measured aerosol, extreme rain and a night sky that keeps getting brighter, mostly from the roof of Cikole Observatory in Lembang.
Each star is one milestone of my career: the brighter it is, the more it weighs. The lines join them in the order they happened.
Cikole Observatory, Lembang19:20 WIB
Observing log
How this constellation took shape.
Every milestone, in the order it rose. Scroll slowly and the lines join, one star at a time.
BSc in Meteorology
Institut Teknologi Bandung
Thesis on heavy afternoon rain over the Bandung basin.
MSc in Atmospheric Science
Institut Teknologi Bandung
My first aerosol thesis, measured from daytime photos of the sky.
Doctoral scholarship
LPDP
Four years in Reading, fully funded.
Starlight as an aerosol gauge
Atmospheric Measurement Letters
My first paper, cited 142 times so far.
PhD in Atmospheric Science
University of Reading
Thesis: reading tropical city aerosol from stellar photometry.
Researcher
Pusat Kajian Iklim Priangan
Came home to Bandung and built a data team from nothing.
Sky photometer network
12 school rooftops across the Bandung basin
Twelve meters, looked after with teachers and students.
Bandung's sky, 2010 to 2020
Journal of Urban Night Sky
Bandung's night sky grew 41% brighter in ten years.
Flood forecasting grant
Dana Riset Iklim Nusantara
Three years, Rp 1.8 billion, four partner institutions.
Citarum flood early warning
With 14 districts on the upper Citarum
Flood warnings now arrive six hours earlier.
Young Climate Researcher Award
Akademi Sains Priangan
For the Citarum flood early warning model.
Head of the Climate Data Lab
Pusat Kajian Iklim Priangan
Leading nine researchers and two data engineers.
Langit Terbuka: ten years of data
Data Journal of Tropical Atmosphere
All our photometer data, free for anyone to download.
West Java Haze Atlas
Pusat Kajian Iklim Priangan
A daily aerosol map for 27 regencies and cities. Under way.
Who I am
I measure the sky to read the air.
From the observatory roof, the way starlight dims tells me how thick the haze over the city is. I put that data to work on earthbound things: flood warnings, the air in school yards, and a night sky Bandung's children can enjoy again.
Under observation
The objects in my research catalogue.
I log every research project the way astronomers log deep-sky objects: a catalogue number, a period, and findings you can check.
- LAR 1 · Ongoing
Haze from starlight
2015 to presentMeasuring the aerosol over the Bandung basin from how dim starlight is by the time it reaches the telescope.Open the observing notes - LAR 2 · Completed
Citarum flood early warning
2021 to 2024A machine learning model that reads weather radar and river sensors to warn the upper Citarum of floods earlier.Open the observing notes - LAR 3 · Ongoing
Bandung's brightening sky
2019 to presentTwelve photometers on school rooftops record how bright Bandung's night sky is, every night, with teachers and students.Open the observing notes
Latest publications
Wibisono, L., Siregar, M., & Anggraini, P. (2025). Langit Terbuka: ten years of stellar photometry over a tropical city. Data Journal of Tropical Atmosphere, 4(2), 88-97. https://doi.org/10.5555/djta.2025.0402 (Dataset)
3 citationsWibisono, L., Hartono, D., Siregar, M., & Nugraha, A. (2024). Six hours earlier: machine-learned flood warnings for the upper Citarum. Journal of Tropical Hydrology, 31(1), 45-62. https://doi.org/10.5555/jth.2024.3101 (Journal)
18 citationsWibisono, L., & Nugraha, A. (2023). Nowcasting banjir dari radar cuaca dan pos pantau komunitas. Prosiding Seminar Nasional Sains Atmosfer, pp. 112-118. https://doi.org/10.5555/snsa.2023.0112 (Conference)
9 citations
Let's map the sky together.
I'm open to research collaborations, speaking invitations and supervising students who are curious about climate data. Send a message and I'll reply within two working days.