Click photo for larger image
A NASA satellite has captured the first occurrence this summer of mysterious shiny polar clouds that form 50 miles above Earth’s surface. The first observations of these “night-shining” clouds by a satellite named “AIM” which means Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere, occurred above 70 degrees north latitude on May 25. People on the ground began seeing the clouds on June 6 over Northern Europe. AIM is the first satellite mission dedicated to the study of these unusual clouds.
These mystifying clouds are called Polar Mesospheric Clouds, or PMCs, when they are viewed from space and referred to as “night-shining” clouds or Noctilucent Clouds, when viewed by observers on Earth. The clouds form in an upper layer of the Earth’s atmosphere called the mesosphere during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer season which began in mid-May and extends through the end of August and are being seen by AIM’s instruments more frequently as the season progresses. They are also seen in the high latitudes during the summer months in the Southern Hemisphere.
Very little is known about how these clouds form over the poles, why they are being seen more frequently and at lower latitudes than ever before, or why they have been growing brighter.
The AIM mission is scheduled to observe at least two complete seasons of these PMCs and, then, the fun of analyzing data begins.
WOW!!!
The clouds are the side effect of the cloaking device used by the alien base at the pole and cloaked ships flying in and out. The two fields interact and cause these clouds. Obviously there’s a lot more traffic during the summer when the weather is better.
Global warming for sure.
Check out the Acapodcast for a song about noctilucent clouds: http://www.acapodcast.com/archives/55
Doesn’t “look like” 50 miles high to me. The ratio to the city lights and the mountain sillouette just don’t make it?
Uh, bobbo – perhaps that’s why researchers rely on appropriate measuring instruments for their data – instead of some untrained git lounging before his computer on a Friday morning. 🙂
6–Yeah, thats why I used the quotes. Almost said that if the picture was valid, then there was an interesting perspective illusion. But rather than go to the science of the issue, lets just bow down to authority. Thats what christians do best?
@5 – The clouds are past the visible horizon and therefore look close to it. You don’t think the sun gets closer to the earth when it sets do you? 🙂
8—trying to dog pile, or just didn’t read the same thing at post 7?
I just had to get my little sun-setting joke in… at your expense. 🙂
For clarity, could have posted “Bobbo–that same optical illusion/perspective happens every day at sunset if you are lucky enough to live in an area where you can see the sun set.”
Then in my normal contrarian way, I would have responded–“No, we are used to the sun being beyond the horizon. I think THAT illusion is caused by the sun growing larger due to refraction at oblique angles.”
Then you could be equally snippy by saying “The sun doesn’t grow larger, it just looks that way.”
Then I would have said “I didn’t think I needed to say that.”
Then you, ——— oops, I’m playing with myself. Sorry.
But the dialectic analysis is a chess game. Some positions are shown faulty if you do a dry run. Is it soup yet?
11–Great photos (as always). Also, the wikipedia article is a good read.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noctilucent_clouds
Nice photo over there too:
Well I was up late on night over here in the UK reading Dvorak/blog and at 2am I figured it was time to get some shut eye. My home office window faces north and I looked up and could see the emerging dawn and these noctilucent clouds. I’d only ever read about them when I was learning to fly.
so, when exactly Jesus/Messaiah/Allah/Yahve/whatever is coming?
😉
What, there is no religious freaks here to explain it *correctly*? 😯
15–You’re facing North? UK isn’t that far North to catch a sunrise in that direction. Looks like beautiful country though. I’m Jealous.
…Obviously a Freon attack from deep space by the Goreans!!! Head for the shelters!! Launch our counter-attack of Logic Torpedos!! To the Gulag with the Live Earth conspirator-dunces!!