Nacreous Clouds

I was pleased to spot this rare cloud this afternoon. A Nacreous or rainbow cloud. Several folk had spotted these in the UK over the last few days.

Nacreous clouds form in the lower stratosphere over polar regions when the Sun is just below the horizon. The ice particles that form nacreous clouds are much smaller than those that form more common clouds. These smaller particles scatter light in a different way, which is what creates the distinctive luminescent.

It certainly brightened up a dull and damp walk.