Shortly after 1:00 on July 28, 2020, the northern night sky visible from the Stockholm area offered an impressive display of night shining "clouds", consisting of ice crystals and meteorite dust in the mesosphere, at a height of > 80 km.
This is not a particularly rare phenomenon. But it can only appear at certain times and places. You'll see it only in summer twilight, some time after sunset or before sunrise. And it is confined to a latitude belt that in European terms reaches roughly from Southern Germany to Mid Sweden. If you go further north, the summer nights are too bright. There is a corresponding visibility belt on the Southern Hemisphere, but very little land to watch the icy clouds from.
There are lots of interesting facts on noctilucent clouds on the net. And Youtube features some awesome time-lapse films. In reality the motion of the bright wisps is rather discrete, but with time-lapse technique you will marvel at the beautiful motion. Try the impressive photographic work of Adrien Mauduit, for instance this film, and don't miss the drama of this one.
No comments:
Post a Comment