NOTE: The HAARP facility was closed some years ago, and now it is operational again. Back then I was happy it was closed because it (mostly) ended the silly conspiracy…
Category: Optical phenonmena
Noctilucent Clouds Over London
On June 21st, something rare and magical happened in London. The skies of the great city filled with noctilucent clouds (NLCs). Phil Halper noticed the display, grabbed a camera, and…
New kind of aurora is not an aurora at all
WASHINGTON — Thin ribbons of purple and white light that sometimes appear in the night sky were dubbed a new type of aurora when brought to scientists’ attention in 2016.…
Meteor activity produces glowing night clouds seen over northern USA and Europe
High above Earth, glowing clouds of frosted meteor smoke are spilling over populated areas of the USA and Europe. “Last night, for the first time this summer, noctilucent clouds stretched across our…
‘Glowing tornado’ spotted over Northern Ireland
In recent nights, noctilucent clouds (NLCs) have rippled across Europe from Scandinavia to the south of France. “We have been observing NLCs every night here in N. Ireland,” reports Martin…
Rocket launch over Japan looks just like California UFO reports
Remember when the pre-dawn SpaceX launch from Vandenberg just before Christmas created a flurry of UFO reports in Southern California? Now it’s Japan’s turn. On Jan. 18th, the Japanese space agency…
NASA detects strange electric-blue clouds over Antarctica
NASA’s AIM spacecraft is monitoring a vast ring of electric-blue clouds circling high above Antarctica. These are noctilucent clouds (NLCs), made of ice crystals frosting specks of “meteor smoke” in the…
Dust stirred by ex hurricane Ophelia turned UK skies red
Via NASA’s Spaceweather.com For the past two days, sky watchers in parts of Europe have reported strange colors in the daytime sky. “There’s a red glow overhead and the sun…
Solved: The mystery of unexplained 'bright nights'
WASHINGTON, DC — Dating back to the first century, scientists, philosophers and reporters have noted the occasional occurrence of “bright nights,” when an unexplained glow in the night sky lets…
New findings on sprite formation above thunderstorms
Florida Tech lightning research deepens understanding of sprite formation – link specific atmospheric conditions to exuberant, luminous displays above thunderstorms From the FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY MELBOURNE, FLA. — A new…
Giant red blob seen in the skies over the western USA
One day after a Chinese rocket disintegrated brightly over the western USA, another set of strange lights appeared over the same region. This time it was NASA’s doing. Before sunrise…
There's a model for everything, including Yellowstone's colorful thermal springs
Scientists from Montana and Germany develop simple new model that explains the brilliant deep hues of Yellowstone National Park’s most beautiful thermal springs WASHINGTON D.C. – Researchers at Montana State…
TLE…transient luminous event captured on video from a thunderstorm
Guest essay by Mike Alger, Chief Meteorologist,KTVN-TV,Reno, NV Here’s something you don’t see every day. Flying a mission for the Air Force, Capt. Ryan McGuire started rolling some video (I…
Noctilucent clouds on the increase, climate change will likely be blamed
Of course, it might just be a negative feedback at work. From NASA: Appearance of Night-Shining Clouds Has Increased First spotted in 1885, silvery blue clouds sometimes hover in the…
First assessment of noctilucent cloud variability at midlatitudes
This is interesting, a first dataset for noctilucent cloud variation. As the Sun dips below the horizon, the last rays of light can glint off crystals of ice high in…
Optical Antics at Sunset
My lovely and talented wife has a habit of being in the right place at the right time to capture nature doing interesting things. This particular shot was taken by…
The R. W. Wood Experiment
Guest Post by Willis Eschenbach Pushed by a commenter on another thread, I thought I’d discuss the R. W. Wood experiment, done in 1909. Many people hold that this experiment…
Disney research figures out "twinned rainbow" optics
From Disney Research (who knew?) Researchers unlock secret of the rare ‘twinned rainbow’ ZURICH — Scientists have yet to fully unravel the mysteries of rainbows, but a group of researchers…
March launch madness at Wallops Island to probe upper atmosphere
From the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center NASA jet stream study will light up the night sky – 5 sounding rockets to launch into upper atmosphere within 5 minutes High in…
Nacreous cloud show at the Arctic Circle
From spaceweather.com An apparition of polar stratospheric clouds is underway around the Arctic Circle. “It is almost as good as the aurora borealis,” says Göran Strand, who took this picture…
Aurora Borealis hits a 100-year low point – sun blamed
via Physorg.com with h/t to Dr. Leif Svalgaard and Indur Goklany The Northern Lights have petered out during the second half of this decade, becoming rarer than at any other…
Storm elves and sprites recorded on video
From Eurka Alert: FECYT – Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology A team of Spanish researchers has made a high-speed recording of elves and sprites in storms, fleeting and luminous…
Colliding Auroras Produce an Explosion of Light
From NASA Colliding Auroras Produce an Explosion of Light 12.17.09 This three frame animation of THEMIS/ASI images shows auroras colliding on Feb. 29, 2008. Credit: Toshi Nishimura/UCLA › Larger Image…
A good meteorological omen, and a great way to start the new year
Today I stepped outside and was greeted with this image just after the clouds parted. Fortunately I had my camera ready to go. This view is at the Sierra Nevada…
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