Lenticular clouds, Patagonia
© Sasha Juliard/Shutterstoc
We’ve identified these ‘flying objects’. World Meteorological Day
Though they may look like retro sci-fi spaceships, these strange shapes are lenticular clouds. Their name, like the word lens, comes from the Latin word for lentil, as they often take that shape. They begin to form in the troposphere when moist, stable air meets an updraft caused by a large standing object like a building or mountain. The air rises and if its crest goes below the dew point, it condenses into these fascinating clouds.
Thanks to the science of meteorology, we can explain these atmospheric phenomena. Today is World Meteorological Day, which commemorates the UN led World Meteorological Organization. Since 1950, this group has exchanged information between its members so the world can benefit from better understanding and predicting our atmosphere and weather.
Related Images
An old farm in the Shetland Islands, Scotland
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
The Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland, made famous by the Hogwarts Express in Harry Potter
For Waitangi Day, the Pancake Rocks on New Zealand’s South Island
At the top of Mount Fuji in Japan. Happy New Year!
Mua Caves in the Ninh Bình province of Vietnam
Old Town of Tallinn, Estonia
Hope Valley in the Peak District
Bing Today Images
