Noctilucent Clouds Above Barsinghausen, Germany
August 09, 2005
Provided and copyright by: Reinhard Nitze
Summary authors & editors: Reinhard Nitze
The photo above showing an ethereal display of noctilucent clouds was taken over northern Germany, near , Barsinghausen, on June 29, 2005. These very high altitude clouds (80 km or more above the surface) can on occasion be seen from high latitudes (usually above about 50 degrees) typically between mid-May to mid August. Their colors are mostly bluish-white, and they often have interesting structures, which look like waves, bands or rings. Noctilucent clouds, as their name implies, are observed at night or twilight and are believed to consist of ice covered particles, possibly meteoritic dust.
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