Noctilucent Clouds Season is Upon Us

[Knight of Clear Skies]

Just a quick reminder that noctilucent cloud season is here. One member in Sweden has already made a sighting and taken an excellent picture.

Here's a more comprehensive guide if anyone is interested.

[Golfey]

Hi Brown Dwarf, love the theory / practice signature as a golfer it is one of my favorite lines.

Also like the good info on noctilucent clouds, helpful for a novice like me.

[Golfey]

Sorry Knight, newbie strikes, got the name wrong!!

[Laurie61]

Hopefully it will be a good year for NLC's  I only spotted a few displays last year but they were quite nice. 

[Photosbykev]

NLC's were visible from Anglesey last night before the clouds came through, tonight's forecast is clear skies This was caught last year on Anglesey about 00:30am

[damnut]

Kev,

Outstanding as usual. makes me feel homesick

[Alkaid]

Nice pics. I don't get the appeal of NLC's though? Aren't they just very high clouds? I thought we all hated clouds! Help me to 'get' them?

[Photosbykev]

Nice pics. I don't get the appeal of NLC's though? Aren't they just very high clouds? I thought we all hated clouds! Help me to 'get' them?

very very high ice clouds, pretty in their own right

[Knight of Clear Skies]

Nice pics. I don't get the appeal of NLC's though? Aren't they just very high clouds? I thought we all hated clouds! Help me to 'get' them?

Well, they are beautiful, ghostly and a little bit mysterious - it's thought that they may be seeded by micrometeorites, although volcanic dust is another possibility. They conveniently appear in the Summer months when it's difficult to view many faint DSOs due to the lack of astronomical twilight and don't interfere with regular astronomy at all, being very low on the northern horizon.

[laudropb]

Thanks for the very instructive link. I usually spot them a few times each season

[StuartJPP]

I saw what I thought were faint noctilucent clouds on Tuesday night...but it was late and it was a school night...so I went to bed.

[bejay1957]

Got a clear sky tonight, regularly looking to the north

[LukeSkywatcher]

Never seen them and must admit they do nothing for me. I'm happy just to see images of them.

[RLWP]

Nice pics. I don't get the appeal of NLC's though? Aren't they just very high clouds? I thought we all hated clouds! Help me to 'get' them?

It's all stuff in the sky, innit.

Personally, stars, DSOs, the ISS, clouds, bats and swifts all 'do it' for me. I'll never be a proper observational astronomer, I don't want to be. The sky is just full of things that make you think

Richard

[StuartJPP]

Nice pics. I don't get the appeal of NLC's though? Aren't they just very high clouds? I thought we all hated clouds! Help me to 'get' them?

 

 

Not much else to image at this time of year...they make a pretty picture though.

 

Noctilucent Clouds Overlooking Leeds by Stuart, on Flickr

[Physopto]

Well!

Light polition of the best kind I would say. All the photographs are excellent. I will have to have a look out for these cloud types.

Derek

[northwalesparry]

[StuartJPP]

A quick grab shot from tonight looking out the bedroom window (look at all that LP!)...that tree is getting too tall

Noctilucent Clouds by Stuart, on Flickr

[Zakalwe]

Apologies for the foreground....I just bunged the camera out the window (the neighbours must think that I am a Peeping Tom!)

[Zakalwe]

A quick 'n' dirty animation pulled together in PS

[TractionMan]

Hopefully this season will have lots of NLC's in store. I really like to see NLC's (as opposed to ordinary clouds). The night are way too bright for proper stargazing anyway.