NASA Snaps Mysterious "Night-Shining" Clouds

coondoggie writes to tell us that NASA has captured some pretty impressive images of the Alluring noctilucent (or "night-shining") clouds. These clouds are made up of ice crystals and dust and are formed at high altitudes near the poles. "Very little is known about how these clouds form over the poles, why they are being seen more frequently and at lower latitudes than ever before, or why they have been growing brighter. AIM will observe two complete cloud seasons over both poles, documenting an entire life cycle of the shiny clouds for the first time. 'It is clear that these clouds are changing, a sign that a part of our atmosphere is changing and we do not understand how, why or what it means,' stated AIM principal investigator James Russell III of Hampton University, Hampton, Va. 'These observations suggest a connection with global change in the lower atmosphere and could represent an early warning that our Earth environment is being changed.'"

Comments

"steamed hams"?

[User 956]

writes to tell us that NASA has captured some pretty impressive images of the Alluring noctilucent (or "night-shining") clouds.

At this time of day? localized entirely in your kitchen?

These clouds are a clear symptom of global warming

[Malevolent Tester]

Even more worryingly, early reports suggest they may contain Dihydrogen Monoxide.

And I immediately think...

[JK_the_Slacker]

"All right, Beatrice, there was no alien. The flash of light you saw in the sky was not a UFO. Swamp gas from a weather balloon was trapped in a thermal pocket and reflected the light from Venus."