Clouds, those amazing floating miracles in the sky, indeed do possess something extraordinary with their amazing shapes, their variety of colors, and their uneven timing of occurrence.Did you know that there are many types of clouds that enhance the look of the sky? According to meteorology, a cloud is a mass of particles. You read that right: clouds aren’t weightless. They have mass and they are formed by water droplets, moisture or ice crystals which are suspended in the atmosphere. Water droplets are usually small compared to the entire sky but the size of the water droplets also plays a matter of consideration.The important types of clouds are cumulus, stratus, and cirrus. Clouds are also generally classified into three levels: high clouds, mid-level clouds, and low-level clouds. The highest of the high clouds of the Earth award goes to, drumroll, noctilucent clouds! There are various types of clouds covering the whole sky. Most clouds among the types of clouds are high-level clouds that float at a high altitude and contain water vapor. When these high-level clouds accumulate too much water vapor at that high altitude, they release rain. Cumulonimbus clouds are menacing-looking, multi-level clouds. Cumulonimbus clouds extend high into the sky in towers or plumes.This article is all about these amazing forms of water vapor that are found in the Earth’s coldest atmospheric region, the mesosphere. After reading all about clouds in the sky, also check out facts about what do cumulonimbus clouds look like and what do nimbus clouds look like.Fun Facts About The Highest Clouds In The SkyDid you know? The name of the highest cloud in the sky is the noctilucent cloud. Noctilucent clouds are also called night-shining clouds because the name noctilucent is derived roughly from the Latin language meaning ’night-shining’. Their name explains their characteristics since they cannot be observed during the day, because of the brightness of our giant, ball of heat, the Sun.These clouds are located in the mesosphere, the Earth’s third layer of atmosphere.Unlike normal clouds which form in the Earth’s atmosphere, noctilucent clouds form directly from water vapor. Noctilucent clouds cannot be formed in warm temperatures; on the contrary, they require cold and hazy temperatures.The formation of the noctilucent cloud was first observed in the year 1885. The instrument called OGO-satellite 6 from space detected the presence of noctilucent clouds in 1972.Noctilucent clouds are also sensitive indexes for determining what’s going on in the atmosphere. They are typically bluish-white in color. Their bluish color appears from the absorption of ozone in the path of sunlight. Since noctilucent clouds are faint in nature they can be seen during dawn or twilight.Noctilucent clouds also possess another distinct name: polar mesospheric clouds.Noctilucent clouds appear in various patterns such as streaks, waves, and whirls. Noctilucent clouds are considered to be a beautiful natural phenomenon.Amazing Facts About Noctilucent CloudsNoctilucent clouds do not occur in regions where lower latitudes are persistent; they need relatively higher latitudes.Noctilucent clouds can be seen extensively in the northern part of the hemisphere. Noctilucent clouds in the southern hemisphere occur very rarely and the shape and density of these clouds are fainter.The shape of noctilucent clouds and cirrus clouds is almost the same so they are easily confused with each other.The mesosphere, the atmospheric layer where these clouds occur, is known to be the coldest part of the Earth’s atmosphere. The polar mesopause can reach a temperature as low as -225 F (-107.2 C).Did you know? Human activities might also be a contributing factor to the presence and formation of noctilucent clouds. The first observations of these clouds occurred only after the explosion of the krokotak in the straits of the Java Sea. However, there isn’t clear evidence that the volcano caused them.In 2013, scientists noticed a spectacular observation of the formation of noctilucent clouds.These clouds are higher up in the sky than any other cloud. These clouds are too high to have any effect on the weather.Facts About Noctilucent Cloud FormationsNoctilucent clouds are usually made up of ice crystals; this explains their occurrence in only temperatures where ice crystals are formed.They exist up to 52.8 mi (85 km) from the surface of our planet.Noctilucent clouds occur frequently in higher latitudes and are beautiful to observe. These clouds are a beautiful sight for sunset observers.Some scientists predict that there is a direct connection between climate change and noctilucent clouds.Methane, one of the greenhouse gases, is an important part of noctilucent clouds!The dust that forms these dark shining clouds is also found in volcanic particles and the troposphere. Dark layer clouds can also indicate forthcoming rain.There are four types of noctilucent clouds based on their density, structure, and appearance.Noctilucent clouds can only be formed at mid to high latitudes in the summertime when the temperature in the mesosphere is cold enough for ice crystals to form.Noctilucent clouds are mostly formed in polar regions because the mesosphere is the coldest in that region.Their unique appearance is what sets them apart from other mesospheric clouds.Noctilucent clouds are some of nature’s rare spectacular occurrences and should be at least observed once in your lifetime. You can easily witness them during summer and in high latitude regions.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for amazing facts about the highest clouds in the sky then why not take a look at what do pink clouds mean or facts about cirrus clouds.
Clouds, those amazing floating miracles in the sky, indeed do possess something extraordinary with their amazing shapes, their variety of colors, and their uneven timing of occurrence.
