There’s always something fascinating about the vast expanse of sky above us. Have you ever stopped and gazed up at the clouds floating by? And have you ever seen those peculiar, tube-shaped clouds?
One beautiful morning in April 2010, the town of Burketown in Queensland, Australia was graced with a stunning sight in the sky. Clouds had formed white “pipes” that looked almost like dragons and were incredibly mesmerizing. These types of clouds typically occur during sunrise or sunset, hence their nickname “dawn and sunset light.” The pipes seen in Burketown stretched for an impressive 966km and moved at a swift pace of about 56 km/h, which is comparable to a car’s speed. These clouds are also known as noctilucent clouds.
There are four types of noctilucent clouds, which scientists have classified as visor, filament, wave, and whirlpool. These clouds are typically observed during the evening hours, when the angle between the sun and horizon is between 6 and 16 degrees. Their color ranges from bright blue to silvery white. Researchers believe that low temperatures, water vapor, and dust are necessary for the formation of the clouds, allowing water vapor to condense into tiny ice crystals. These crystals, located at an altitude of approximately 80km, scatter the sun’s rays, causing the clouds to glow. Despite ongoing research, the origin of noctilucent clouds remains a mystery.
After a storm on June 26, residents in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada witnessed peculiar clouds resembling “nests” hovering in the sky. A similar phenomenon occurred on April 25, 2013, in Yanji City, Jilin Province, China, where stalactite-shaped clouds appeared. These cloud formations come in various emulsion patterns, such as water ripples or spherical patches. They can exist on their own for up to 15 minutes, and when grouped together, they can last for several hours. Another type of unusual cloud formation is cone clouds.
This particular type of cloud can often be seen on mountaintops, resembling a “mountain with a hat.” It is known as a cloud cone, and can be observed in areas of volcanic activity. Although they occur naturally, cone clouds can also be man-made, such as those produced by atomic bombs. One example is the nuclear bomb “Little Boy” which was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. The explosion resulted in a mushroom-shaped cloud, with the top resembling a massive cone.
Another interesting cloud phenomenon is the “vuong phu cloud” which appears on the top of Cang Son-Er Hai in Dali, Yunnan, China. This dark gray cloud appears between winter and spring, and is accompanied by a strong storm that causes waves to crash onto the shore. The wind associated with this cloud is called “Ha Quan,” and is caused by the monsoon and unique topography of the area. As the wind enters the region, it sharply increases and collides with Ha Quan, pushing the vapor to the top of Thuong Son, where it condenses into the “vapor cloud” known as the “clouds of hope.”
