Unusual Noctilucent Clouds Shimmer at North Pole in Satellite View

By Elizabeth Howell 6 hours ago Skywatching

These clouds shine after the sun has set.



Data gathered by NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) spacecraft makes up this
image of noctilucent clouds seen on June 12, 2019.
(Image: © NASA/University of Colorado Boulder/Joshua Stevens)


An eerie image of Earth's North Pole shows the effects on our planet's reflectivity when an unusual type of cloud forms.

The image, which is based on data acquired on June 12, shows noctilucent clouds, which are clouds that appear in twilight during the hour after the sun has set. These are extremely high-atmosphere clouds that continue to reflect light even once the sun is below the horizon for observers on the ground.

These clouds most commonly form at high latitudes, between 50 degrees and 65 degrees north. The new image (obtained over several satellite passes) shows reflectivity measurements gathered by NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) mission, as light from the clouds bounces back into space.

"As Earth's lower atmosphere warms with spring and summer, the upper atmosphere grows cooler," NASA said in a statement. "In the process, ice crystals collect on meteor dust and other particles, creating electric blue wisps on the edge of space — usually 80 to 85 kilometers (50 to 53 miles) in altitude. In the AIM map, noctilucent clouds appear in various shades of light blue to white, depending on the density of the ice particles."

More:
https://www.space.com/earth-north-pole-noctilucent-clouds-shimmer.html