Breathtaking structure of noctilucent clouds

As the PoSSUM noctilucent cloud airborne campaign unfolds in High Level, Alberta, Canada, the PoSSUM team gets valuable scientific data using PMC-turbo cameras. As part of the science communication and outreach effort, photographer Adrien Mauduit is helping the project by taking ground imagery. It includes still images, but also time-lapse films that reveal the structure and evolution of the clouds in a breathtaking fashion.

"You might think they look like the waves of the ocean or the bottom of a pool, and that's exactly what this wondrous natural spectacle looks like," Mauduit said. "These ice particles reflect the light from the sun as they are sandwiched by different layers of the upper mesosphere. this, in turn, allows the delicate and elusive fluid mechanics to be witnessed and understood better, hence the goal of the project."

In this gorgeous 4K video, you will discover the different fine structures NLC's can take against the night sky (you can see stars moving in the background, their shakiness coming from image stabilization): Waves, billows, knots, bands, lacunous holes and veritable storms are waiting for you!