That’s not a UFO, it’s a Lenticular Cloud!
June 29, 2009 · Print This Article
What’s that round, dense-looking object hovering in the sky? It wouldn’t be too hard for UFO believers to assume, particularly at twilight when they’re backlit, that these strange formations are actually alien aircraft. But, what you’re looking at is a natural phenomenon. Lenticular clouds form at high altitudes, aligned to the wind direction, and often seem to stay in the same place while other clouds move around them.
Lenticular clouds are particularly common over mountains, where strong wind flow pushes moist air upward, causing it to condense. They often look like discs, stacks of pancakes, funnels, or mushrooms. Sometimes, the air is forced in a pattern that resembles waves in the sea.
While they appear stationary, that’s actually not the case. The flow of moist air continually resupplies the cloud even as water evaporates, keeping the same shape until the wind or weather changes.
While power pilots try to avoid flying near lenticular clouds because of the turbulence of the rotor systems, sailplane pilots actively seek them out because they enable gliders to soar extremely high and far.
Check out this time lapse video of lenticular clouds forming over Mount Rainier:
Image via icestories.exploratorium.edu
So next time you see what you think might be a UFO, look a little closer. It might just be a mundane – yet spectacular – lenticular cloud formation.
Link [Wikipedia]
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