Well, that is only one factor and a minor one at that. This image shows many things and could make a fine wall hanging, but as Proust noted, indirectly, photographs aren’t art and realistic art isn’t realistic or art. Still, there is plenty of science to explain in this image, much of it hidden. There are several of the anvil thunderheads as mentioned above. They go nearly to the top of the atmosphere where anything could fly on wings. It might be interesting to compare these equatorial thunderheads to thunderheads in the arctic. Arctic thunderheads are only half as high; intercontinental airplanes in the arctic fly only half as high. Why is that?
In the foreground, ‘under’ the huge thunderhead, and to the left of the lens flare, thee’s a faily large ‘whispy’ that seems much brighter than the clouds around it. Does that qualify it as a noctilucent; or is it not that high?
Seriously? - The Tropopause.
Intercontinental aircraft service altitudes are directly proportional to density altitude. So at AGL 200 at Lat 70, the density altitude is equivalent to 450 AGL at 20 Lat. This is akin to the difference between AGS and IAS at altitude. Guess which one is lower and explain why.