noctilucent clouds

July 1, 2004 12:20 AM

noctilucent clouds
It's that time of year again. Look to the skies after sunset.
posted by y2karl (18 comments total)

Well, it's a survey of some better galleries, mostly, and articles. The historical appearance of them after the eruption of Krakatoa was news to me--first, Edvard Munch's The Scream and now this--and the possible connection to global warming was news as well, and quite disquieting. I must confess that I am a little paranoid but I Googled noctilucent clouds and some of the links and found nothing. And I goofed on a couple of titles--dang!
posted by y2karl at 12:29 AM on July 1, 2004

Very cool. The night skies do indeed glow with these clouds right now for me in Oregon.
posted by mathowie at 12:52 AM on July 1, 2004

Ooooh, pretty!

Them's make out clouds!
posted by fenriq at 12:52 AM on July 1, 2004

I don't think I'm gonna get to see any of those kinda clouds down here in Florida, but I'd like to. I was reminded of this great post, but was surprised that I couldn't find any noctilucent images there, although there are many other great weather pics there.
posted by wsg at 1:28 AM on July 1, 2004

I see the British Astronomy Association's Aurora Section Web Resources page has some good noctilucent clouds links. Noctilucent is such a cool word. I also like noctivation, the word for hummingbird sleep.

The Meteoptic page has some nice noctilucent cloud images, among other atmospheric phenomena.
posted by y2karl at 1:59 AM on July 1, 2004

These things are said to form in the Arctic, but here in the Arctic, the nights are full of light. If there are noctilucent clouds around, we don't notice them up here.
posted by dayvin at 2:37 AM on July 1, 2004

I get the Space Weather newsletter which gives heads up on stuff like this as well as sun spots and meteor showers etc. The axe I have to grind is they are always saying these things, along with the aurora borealis, are visible as far south as Colorado. Well, I freaking live in Colorado and haven't seen either an aurora, or a noctilucent cloud. Must be cloudy on the days they are visible here. I'd like to see a real life aurora before I die...
posted by Eekacat at 6:35 AM on July 1, 2004

I've seen aurora from Broadway in downtown Seattle, under streetlights and all the other light pollution a modern city has to offer. So don't give up hope.
posted by y2karl at 6:56 AM on July 1, 2004

Great post, y2karl.
posted by rocketman at 7:17 AM on July 1, 2004

Whenever there's a solar flare and auroras, there's full cloud cover in Maine. It's unnatural, I tell you.
posted by theora55 at 7:54 AM on July 1, 2004

This is fantastic, and a nice relief from all the other stuff. Many thanks, y2karl.
posted by languagehat at 9:15 AM on July 1, 2004

Nice, thanks y2karl! I'll be out looking over the next few weeks.
posted by carter at 10:19 AM on July 1, 2004

Heck, I'm just having fun moving my mouse over the "noctilucent clouds" links and watching each letter light up in turn.

Whee!
posted by Guy Smiley at 10:27 AM on July 1, 2004

Good post, in spite of the obnoxious formatting. I had enough trouble trying to hover over the skinny letters to click them, and I don't even have Parkinson's disease.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 10:46 AM on July 1, 2004

Beautiful. I actually saw this a couple of nights ago but had no idea what it was called. Thx!
posted by widdershins at 12:04 PM on July 1, 2004

Beautiful clouds in the pics. Thanks y2karl! Now if the dang fog would just NOT come in for a while so I could see them here....
posted by Lynsey at 4:28 PM on July 1, 2004

Spaceweather's Noctilucent Cloud Gallery 2004
posted by y2karl at 7:03 AM on July 3, 2004

I saw some noctilucent lcouds just now, coming home on my bike from Safeway. They were pale white and feathery clouds stretching across half the western sky and starting to fade as I rode down Queen Anne Boulevard on the west slope of Queen Anne. I just got home, turned on the PC and ran out to check and they've disapppeared already.

I'd gone canoeing, ridden west on the Burke-Gilman Trail to Queen Anne--what a glorious sunset--and walked my bike up to Safeway. Took the scenic route home and happened to look up and saw the clouds. This is the first time I've seen them and knew what I was looking at.

I went canoeing with a friend in the Arboretum and saw a bald eagle in flight, about dozen blue herons and then saw three new--to me--kinds of ducks which I am going to look up right after I post this. We fed bread to the tamer ducks in the Arboretum and one female mallard climbed in the canoe and grabbed some out of my hand. I got mugged by a mallard. What a day.
posted by y2karl at 10:36 PM on July 15, 2004