It"s around this time of year when some lucky people get to witness these rare, wondrous clouds. Known as noctilucent, or "night-shining," clouds, they"re the highest clouds in our sky and are only visible during summer. They"re made up of icy dust glowing at the edge of space, roughly 50 miles above the planet"s surface. The trick to seeing them is to gaze up into the sky at twilight, when sunlight is not reaching the Earth"s surface, but is still shining through the high-altitude noctilucent clouds. These clouds occur more often at high latitudes but have been seen lower than 50° north and south.
Noctilucent clouds
Today in History
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Christmas market at Belvedere Palace in Vienna
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In the valley of the doll
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Indigenous Peoples Day
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Procida, Italy
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First day of summer
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Twosday
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West Cornwall Covered Bridge, Connecticut
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Astrotourism at its finest
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National Take the Stairs Day
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Celebrating Bike to Work Week, May 14-18
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International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend
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American bison
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Decorating for Diwali
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Grab onto the handlebars, kid
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Tennis in the park
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What, no escalator?
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World Turtle Day
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International Lighthouse Weekend
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Bird s-eye view on World Environment Day
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A sleeping green giant
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A day for the dolphins
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Okefenokee Swamp
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Flag Day
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World Meteorological Day
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Presidents Day
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Hiking the High Trestle Trail
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Adorably evolutionary sea sheep
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The Giants Causeway, Northern Ireland
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European Day of Parks
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A cutting-edge art gallery opens in Paris
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

