Noctilucent clouds this season are shocking observers

Another night — another bright appearance of noctilucent clouds.

"The evening of June 17 a large part of our firmament was enveloped in silvery clouds" — said Marek Nicodemus of Shubina in Poland.

According to him, this season can be called incredible — noctilucent clouds this year a stunningly beautiful and photogenic.

Heiko Ulbricht have seen the same thing in Herzogswalde (Germany). He noted that the observed noctilucent clouds for 21 years, but have never seen anything like it. Electric-blue waves stretched over the horizon.

What has changed this year in the mesosphere? The most likely answer — a solar minimum. Radiation is deep ultraviolet radiation (EUV) from the Sun — at the lowest level in a decade. This is the factor that may lead to increased noctilucent clouds.

Noctilucent clouds are formed when the summer clouds of water vapor rise to the upper atmosphere. Water molecules "stick" to the particles metodichnogo smoke, gathering in the icy clouds, shining electric-blue when they are in sunlight. Probably, the EUV radiation can destroy these water molecules before they freeze. Therefore, the decrease in EUV intensity at solar minimum can lead to the strengthening of the phenomenon of noctilucent clouds.

This year, the season of noctilucent clouds has begun in the end of may. However, over the last 30 days there were no sunspots — a period that has records. Apparently the lack of sunspots is directly related to the fact that the sky glows electric-blue.

Translated by «Yandex.Translator»