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Rarest clouds in the world appear over the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Chronicle / SFGate.com ^ | Dec. 16, 2022 Updated: Dec. 16, 2022 12:45 p.m. | Amy Graff , SFGATE

Posted on 12/17/2022 11:32:37 AM PST by thecodont

Noctilucent clouds — the rarest clouds in the world — glowed like shimmering cobwebs in the sky over the San Francisco Bay Area early Friday morning, and experts think they were likely the result of a rocket launch.  Skywatchers across the region were delighted by the otherworldly spectacle overhead and shared images on social media. One Twitter user posted a photo taken in the Sunset District at 6:30 a.m. "Pretty crazy looking," the tweet read.

Scientists chimed in with excitement. "Great shot of what appears to be a noctilucent cloud over the SF Bay Area this morning!" UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain posted in response to one photo. "Such clouds are very rare at this latitude and also in winter, and are the Earth's highest and driest clouds, forming in the mesosphere about 50 miles (!) up." 

The National Weather Service confirmed Bay Area residents were indeed looking at noctilucent clouds just before sunrise, and the the clouds' occurrence is highly unusual. The clouds are most prevalent in the polar regions at the North and South Poles. When they do appear on the West Coast, which isn't often, they more commonly form in the Pacific Northwest.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Outdoors; Science; Weather
KEYWORDS: hh2; nightshining; noctilucent
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1 posted on 12/17/2022 11:32:37 AM PST by thecodont
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To: thecodont

Sorry I didn’t get up to see these!

Previous posts on these rare and lovely clouds:

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3756168/posts

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3756168/posts

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3619526/posts

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3262877/posts

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2664879/posts


2 posted on 12/17/2022 11:33:29 AM PST by thecodont
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To: thecodont
Nice.


Courtesy of Rain Hayes

3 posted on 12/17/2022 11:36:21 AM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire, or both.)
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To: thecodont

I thought the rarest clouds were mushroom clouds?


4 posted on 12/17/2022 11:38:13 AM PST by Jonty30 (You can't spell liberal without the a-hole. )
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To: thecodont

Remnants of the O3b mPOWER SpaceX Falcon launch from Vandenberg. Remarkable how quickly the US is building global satlink redundancy, many thanks to Trump’s creation of the United States Space Force.


5 posted on 12/17/2022 11:38:30 AM PST by StAnDeliver (Tanned, rested, and ready.)
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To: BenLurkin

OMG it turned into Corellia


6 posted on 12/17/2022 11:44:44 AM PST by butlerweave
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To: thecodont

Our friends reported an earthquake in El Cerrito early this morning, too.


7 posted on 12/17/2022 11:45:07 AM PST by Disambiguator
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To: thecodont
experts think they were likely the result of a rocket launch

8 posted on 12/17/2022 11:51:25 AM PST by Berlin_Freeper
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To: StAnDeliver

Space Force ... a big part of Trump’s legacy that Gropin’ Joe hasn’t wrecked.


9 posted on 12/17/2022 11:53:32 AM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the peopIe to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: Berlin_Freeper

well it does have an impressive uniformity to it!!


10 posted on 12/17/2022 11:55:51 AM PST by sit-rep ( )
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To: thecodont

Yes, noctilucent clouds. This is the time of year for them IIRC.


11 posted on 12/17/2022 11:57:13 AM PST by one guy in new jersey
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To: thecodont

Well California is caught in the spiders web.


12 posted on 12/17/2022 12:03:39 PM PST by Revel
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To: thecodont

Did these presage the little quake that was report for the Bay on the 17th?


13 posted on 12/17/2022 12:05:59 PM PST by Brass Lamp
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To: ProtectOurFreedom
Some great pics. I've seen these, but never knew about the phenomena nor the cause. I'll be on the lookout the next few weeks.

Here ya go

14 posted on 12/17/2022 12:08:59 PM PST by Hot Tabasco
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To: BenLurkin

More likely methane gas from all the people deficating on the streets.


15 posted on 12/17/2022 12:19:55 PM PST by Kaiser8408a (z)
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To: StAnDeliver
Exactly. Thanks for posting. I think the launch was scheduled 0346 +/- 10.

The visuals are exactly what you would see with a twilight phenomenon launch.

16 posted on 12/17/2022 12:31:24 PM PST by pfflier
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To: thecodont

Those clouds appear over swamps and open sewers that emit fecal coliforms into the atmosphere. Quite telling.


17 posted on 12/17/2022 12:43:52 PM PST by Delta 21 (MAGA Republican is my pronoun.)
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To: thecodont
My son saw them and grabbed this shot…


18 posted on 12/17/2022 12:55:12 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom (If you're not part of the solution, you're just scumming up the bottom of the beaker!0)
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To: thecodont

I guess it’s cool because it’s there, I guess?
See these all the time in Fairbanks.


19 posted on 12/17/2022 1:04:29 PM PST by vpintheak (Live free, or die!)
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To: thecodont

Probably from all the filth and corruption and crap in the streets


20 posted on 12/17/2022 2:55:17 PM PST by NWFree (Somebody has to say it 🤪)
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