On the night of June 21, 2016, photographer Derek Mellott from the town of Gibbons, Alberta, Canada recorded this fantastic display of noctilucent clouds (NLCs). "They were the brightest I have ever seen," he said. "It seemed like a good time to...
June 22, 2016
On June 8, 2016, amateur astronomer Thomas Ashcraft captured an enormous ring of light high above a thunderstorm in southeast Colorado. "It only lasted about a millisecond, but it was definitely there. The ring was about 300 km (186 miles) wide," Ashcraft...
June 13, 2016
An enormous swarm of sprites was observed across the top of a thunderstorm during a severe weather outbreak in Oklahoma, US on May 23, 2016. The phenomenon was recorded by amateur astronomer Thomas Ashcraft, almost 640 km (400 miles) away, SpaceWeather.com reports,...
May 27, 2016
A very rare atmospheric optical phenomenon called 'light pillars' was observed in the night sky above south Wales about 21:50 UTC on Friday, March 11, 2016, the same day a CME impact sparked surprising G2 - Moderate geomagnetic storm with auroras seen as far...
March 14, 2016
Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) are appearing over the United Kingdom and Ireland since January 31, 2016. An extremely rare occurrence for this area, usually restricted to the Arctic Circle, has been photographed by numerous skywatchers. According to experts, the...
February 05, 2016
Sky watchers are observing an outbreak of polar stratospheric clouds or PSCs around the Arctic Circle, SpaceWeather reports. Unlike normal grey-white clouds, which hug Earth's surface at altitudes of only 5 to 10 km (3.1 - 6.2 miles), PSCs float through the...
December 17, 2015
A strong outburst of lightning from Hurricane "Hilda", in the Pacific Ocean, was reported by the National Weather Service on August 10, 2015. At first, the scientist thought the lightning was the so-called sprites phenomena, however, closer observation...
August 16, 2015
The halos are caused by light refraction and reflection of millions of tiny ice crystals in high cirrus clouds. These high, thin clouds appear about 6 km (20 000 feet) or more above the ground, and are usually accompanied by a storm shortly after..Ice crystals in cirrus
July 30, 2015
Sprite season - spectacular, eerie flashes of colored lights that appear high above the tops of powerful thunderstorms - is underway, SpaceWeather reports. Because sprites are associated with thunderstorms, they tend to occur in late spring and summer. "Sprites...
May 16, 2015
A possible outbreak of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) is underway around the Arctic Circle, SpaceWeather.com reports.Ivar Marthinusen sends this picture of the phenomenon taken on December 22, 2014 from Skedsmokorset, Norway:"Right after sunset, these clouds wer
December 23, 2014
In May 2008 the Chilean volcano Chaiten erupted spectacularly and exhibited remarkable lightning activity. Photographer Carlos Gutierrez captured a few images showing unusual kelly-green lightning channels. In this briefing, lightning researcher Arthur Few explains the
December 12, 2013
According to the report by US Coast Guard operators of natural gas and crude oil production platform in Gulf of Mexico, USA, lost control over one of the wells on July 9, 2013. Rainbow sheen is visible on the water surface and is estimated to be more than 6.5
July 10, 2013
An unusual cloud pattern formed over Brisbane and southeast Queensland on August 9, 2012. According to Weatherzone meteorologist Josh Fisher, this pattern represents a signal that the weather is about to turn cold, a harbinger of cooler weather. It’s a high
August 09, 2012
“Red sprites” are short-lived, red flashes that occur about 80 kilometers (50 miles) up in the atmosphere. These electrical discharges can extend 20 to 30 kilometers up into the atmosphere and are connected to thunderstorms and lightning. Red sprites are difficult
July 11, 2012
Noctilucent clouds (NLCs) turn on every year in late spring, reaching almost full intensity over a period of no more than 5 to 10 days. These electric-blue ice clouds hang 85 km (53 miles ) above Earth's surface, at the edge of space itself, circling the north and
June 25, 2012
The shallow Yellow Sea, which has a number of busy ports, usually sees 50 foggy days a year; some weather stations in the area have measured fog on up to 80 days. One of those days was March 28, 2012, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on
April 08, 2012
The anticipated geomagnetic storm caused by Monday’s M8.7 solar flare and Tuesday’s coronal mass ejection (CME) impact is over. The aurora watch has been cancelled today for all but the highest latitudes around the Arctic Circle but a dazzling display of aur
January 25, 2012