Posted on 07/07/2024 11:26:19 AM PDT by MtnClimber
Explanation: Why are these clouds multi-colored? A relatively rare phenomenon in clouds known as iridescence can bring up unusual colors vividly -- or even a whole spectrum of colors simultaneously. These polar stratospheric clouds also, known as nacreous and mother-of-pearl clouds, are formed of small water droplets of nearly uniform size. When the Sun is in the right position and, typically, hidden from direct view, these thin clouds can be seen significantly diffracting sunlight in a nearly coherent manner, with different colors being deflected by different amounts. Therefore, different colors will come to the observer from slightly different directions. Many clouds start with uniform regions that could show iridescence but quickly become too thick, too mixed, or too angularly far from the Sun to exhibit striking colors. The featured image and an accompanying video were taken late in 2019 over Ostersund, Sweden.
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Very pretty! I’ve seen a much smaller version of that here, usually right after sunset, high in the Western sky. Nothing as spectacular as that.
Looks like ice pops
nice
It is noctilucent cloud season right now. They form about 50 miles above the surface of the Earth.
Cool.
Seen a lone cloud do that and wondered why/
Looks like a oil slick in the sky.
If I didn’t know better, I would have guessed it was just another version of the northern lights.
Beautiful.
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