Noctilucent Clouds

As far as I was concerned it was sleep time, but when I looked out from the van I discovered a wonderful display of noctilucent clouds shining on the northern horizon. Wow!

I can fully understand it if at this point you are completely lost, having no idea what a noctilucent cloud is and the reason this might be the case is you don't get to see them that often. Even if you do they are 'just' clouds - so what?

Noctilucent clouds are the very highest clouds that form in the Earth's atmosphere and are made up if ice crystals, forming only over the north and south polar regions. This is why they are not visible unless conditions are right and tonight they clearly were.

They are visible to those in the latitudes of the UK and northwards and can only be seen sometime after dusk and again before dawn when the sun is far enough below the horizon that its light reflects from the clouds and makes them shine. They also only become visible at particular times of the year due to the Sun's alignment in relation to Earth. Usually they are seen as white, wispy clouds on the northern horizon (because they are over the North Pole) and tonight they shined so brightly with a display of colour which is extremely rare ... and I not only saw them but I photographed them too.

The first two photos in this footprint were taken using my Canon camera and the second two, amazingly, using my phone. Unsurprisingly, the 'proper' camera has made a better job of recording the event and exactly how it looked. The phone, however, has captured the event but they haven't brought out as much of the subtle colour.

I was so excited to see this display, given I'm clearly easily pleased, and even though it was 3am and now getting light I just couldn't have gone to sleep without making the most of this. It was magical. The increasing light of dawn now meant they would be disappear from view, so now it really was time to sleep.Read more