Nacreous clouds everywhere

Pilot Mark from next door showed us photos of the ice crystal clouds of super cold Polar air catching the low sun at 80,000ft to produce the mother-of-pearl prismatics taken during a flight today. They only form when lower stratospheric temperature falls below -78C, says Met Office. The ice particles are smaller ice partikly than most clouds and catch the sun’s rays from below as it sets with a scattering of light that forms the nacreous/mother-of-pearly iridescence.

And there they were as I walked up to Craigleith (don’t ask) as darkness fell after 4pm.

A merry solstice to all.