Noctilucent, or night-shining, clouds seem to hover over Nykøbing Mors, Denmark, in June 2016. The phenomenon usually kicks into high gear around the time of the June solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.
Eerie Clouds Glow at Night—How to See Them
An outburst of shining tendrils signals the start of viewing season for these high-flying clouds formed by space dust.
In recent weeks, sky-watchers have been reporting nightly outbursts of eerie tendrils glowing in the twilight skies.
The hypnotic displays signal the start of viewing season for noctilucent, or night-shining, clouds. The eye-catching wisps show up every year around local summer. In the Northern Hemisphere, sky-watchers can catch a glimpse of them painting the skies from now through August. Viewers in the Southern Hemisphere, meanwhile, should look for the clouds from November to February.
These mysterious, thin veils of clouds appear to form around the polar regions in the mesosphere, the highest level of Earth’s atmosphere. At these extreme heights, temperatures are a bone-chilling -148°F, and the air is a million times drier than any desert.
Under these conditions, water vapor freezes
