How to see rare “nightlight” clouds thanks to climate change

The era of noctilucent clouds has arrived. Noctilucent clouds are a beautiful formation of sparkling ice crystals hanging in the upper atmosphere, historically rare and only seen in the northern part of the world in the last few years. However, they have been steadily sneaking south for 40 years, so this year may be the year you peep into this unique phenomenon from your backyard.

Noctilucent clouds are common in the upper atmosphere, but are usually invisible unless the atmospheric conditions are accurate. Traditionally, the peak season for seeing these swirling night clouds is from late June to the end of July, previously only visible in Alaska in the continental United States and the northernmost tip of the 48 states in the continental United States, but global warming. Has created a “visible NLC”. It is more common in more places. yay?

What is a noctilucent cloud?

The first observed noctilucent cloud (NLC) in 1885 is an ice cloud formed at the edge of the universe 47-53 miles above the ground. They usually appear as blue or white swirls that are only visible during the darkest hours of summer. The NLC is most noticeable between latitudes 50 and 60 degrees, but has recently steadily brightened and is moving south to Los Angeles. People reported seeing them in 2019..

Why are noctilucent clouds more prominent than they are now?

Noctilucent clouds are almost invisible. The sky is too bright to see the light reflected by the clouds during the day. However, at midnight, the lower part of the atmosphere is in the shadow of the earth, and the upper part of the atmosphere is shining.

Small changes in the atmosphere can make a big difference in these clouds. Global warming has resulted in more water vapor in the atmosphere, which has resulted in larger noctilucent clouds visible over a wider area of ​​the planet. As the world warms up, there should be more noctilucent clouds... (Repeat, yeah?)

How to see the noctilucent clouds this summer

Noctilucent clouds appear only when the sky is far from the clouds below and at the darkest hours of the night. To see them, go outside around midnight and look north. The best views require an unobstructed view of the north of the entire horizon. The view to the naked eye is spectacular, but you may want to take a closer look at the structural complexity of these clouds with binoculars.

If you’re lucky, you’ll see some glowing white or golden pieces relatively low on the horizon.If you get For real Fortunately, faint clouds grow and change color until electric blue, gold, and silver swirls, curls, and waves spread throughout the sky.

We are currently in the peak season of NLC (mid-June to July), but the nights that may feature formations cannot be predicted more than a few hours in advance. Previously, they had the hope of going out every night, but skywatching fans around the world are using technology to share NLC information and warn each other about the formation of these elusive clouds.

Join these social media groups for noctilucent cloud advance news

Anyone in your east will see NLC first, and fans of this phenomenon are too happy to warn you that it is coming.You can subscribe Noctilucent Cloud Alert Twitter Feed, Where users upload photos of events and send words.participate Similar group on Facebook; Or follow #noctilucent twitter Also Instagram.. I think all of these feeds will definitely go crazy when the clouds at night appear. We hope this summer we all have the opportunity to check out this strange and mysterious phenomenon.