Posted on 06/27/2013 4:17:54 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: This panoramic night scene from June 8 looks out across a Moscow skyline from atop the main building of Lomonosov Moscow State University. Shining in the darkened sky above are widespread noctilucent clouds. From the edge of space, about 80 kilometers above Earth's surface, the icy clouds can still reflect sunlight even though the Sun itself is below the horizon as seen from the ground. Usually spotted at high latitudes in summer months the diaphanous apparitions, also known as polar mesospheric clouds, have come early this season. The seasonal clouds are understood to form as water vapor driven into the cold upper atmosphere condenses on the fine dust particles supplied by meteor smoke (debris left by disintegrating meteors) or volcanic ash. Their early start this year may be connected to changing global circulation patterns in the lower atmosphere. During this northern summer, NASA's AIM mission provides daily projections of the noctilucent clouds as seen from space.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit & Copyright: Sergey Lisakov]
Never seen them myself. Guess I’m just too far south.
80 km is in the mesosphere. And I thought all weather took place in the troposphere.
LOL!
hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
You made my morning with that!
Moscow? That looks like the Brandenburg gate in Berlin.
Read more: http://www.universetoday.com/#ixzz2XSjl9Rs5
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
