Астронет: Астрономическая картинка дня Серебристые облака над Флоридой http://variable-stars.ru/db/msg/1932874/eng |
Credit & Copyright: Pascal Fouquet
Explanation:
These clouds are doubly unusual.
First, they are rare
noctilucent clouds, meaning that they are
visible at night --
but only just before sunrise or just after sunset.
Second, the source of these
noctilucent clouds is actually known.
In this rare case, the source of the
sunlight-reflecting ice-crystals in the
upper atmosphere can be traced back to the
launch of a nearby SpaceX rocket about 30 minutes earlier.
Known more formally as polar mesospheric clouds,
the vertex of these icy wisps happens to converge just in front of a
rising crescent Moon.
The featured image -- and
accompanying video -- were captured over
Orlando,
Florida,
USA about a week ago.
The bright spot to the right of the Moon is the planet
Jupiter,
while the dotted
lights
above the horizon on the right are from an
airplane.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.