NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS (NLCs)
I became aware of this beautiful phenomenon not too long ago, and this was my first time photographing these beautiful night clouds a couple of weeks ago. These clouds (also known as night shining clouds) become visible after sunset and can last until sunrise. They are formed by ice crystals, so high up in the atmosphere that they can still reflect sunlight while everything else is dark. They move very gently and slowly, like water across the sky. The movement is visible to the patient observer and in photo-timelapses.
The experience of watching them during a warm summer night is phenomenal, and similar to watching Northern lights to me.
They can be best seen during the summer months from latitudes between ±50° and ±70°, away from the cities where the skies are dark. However I have also seen them in the hours before sunrise in the night-sky above the city here in Edmonton.
The experience of watching them during a warm summer night is phenomenal, and similar to watching Northern lights to me.
They can be best seen during the summer months from latitudes between ±50° and ±70°, away from the cities where the skies are dark. However I have also seen them in the hours before sunrise in the night-sky above the city here in Edmonton.
