Observations of the long‐term variations in the motions and morphology of the cloud systems in the atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune have been hampered by terrestrial atmospheric effects, a limited range of accessible band passes, the necessity to sacrifice spectral resolution to achieve reasonable spatial resolution, and the inability to observe the planets when they are near the sun. A lunar‐based observatory would allow an intensive, coordinated observing program which could optimize both spatial and spectral resolution of the dynamic structures in the Jovian (Jupiter and Saturn) and Neptunian (Uranus and Neptune) atmospheres. The lunar site would eliminate many of the observing obstacles. During the early phases of lunar development, an optical telescope of the 1–2.5 meter class, equipped with an adequate sunshade, will make an effective long‐term contribution to our understanding of cloud variability in the Jovian and Neptunian atmospheres. Although a larger IR‐optimized facility would provide finer spatial resolution of the data in the 7‐micron region and yield a sensitive probe for temperature variations above the clouds, a 1–2.5 meter class telescope in the airless environment of the moon will provide adequate belt‐zone discrimination on Jupiper at these wavelengths. Tunable filters, allowing a judicious selection of frequency intervals within the methane absorption bands, will allow specific tailoring of the observing sequences to optimize the altitude discrimination, while minimizing data rates.