Chilly Weather Displays Rare Mother-Of-Pearl Clouds in Skies of Scotland

On Sunday night and Monday morning, Scotland's skies were home to a rare mother-of-pearl cloud, which sky watchers were able to see due to the chilly weather.

Nacreous Clouds

One of the tallest clouds, nacreous clouds develops over polar regions. This happens when the Sun is just under the horizon in the lower stratosphere. These clouds, which are uncommon to see in the UK, are illuminated from beneath and frequently glow in vibrant colors, earning them the nickname "mother of pearl" clouds. They resemble large, thin discs and are primarily recognized for the colored light they reflect just before and after sunset.

Nacreous clouds are said to form between 68,500 and 100,000 feet up in the lower stratosphere, according to the Met Office.

The weather office explained that Compared to more common clouds, nacreous clouds are made up of much smaller ice particles. The unique luminescent appearance is caused by the different ways in which these smaller particles scatter light.

Sky News says that these clouds resemble large, thin discs and reflect brilliant colors. When the sun is just below the horizon over the polar regions, clouds form in the lower layer of the planet's atmosphere.

The ice particles, which are much smaller than those that produce typical clouds, then combine to form nacreous clouds.

The sun then bounces off of these microscopic ice particles, bringing out their pearly streaks and scattering them into various light colors, according to Sky News.

Because of their height and the curvature of the Earth's surface, these clouds receive light under the horizon and then reflect it to the surface, shining brightly just before dawn and after dusk.

They are most frequently seen in higher latitudes, including Scandinavia and northern Canada, and when the Sun is somewhere between 1C and 6C below the horizon.

They are sometimes referred to as polar stratospheric clouds because of this. The polar winter is when nacreous clouds are most likely to form because they only do so below -78C.

These clouds, which must form at extremely low temperatures, can only be seen from the UK when the stratospheric polar vortex is active. It then moves on and briefly passes over the UK.

Although the frequency or rarity of these clouds' formation is unknown, one of the most recent spectacular displays in Scotland took place in 2016.

Clogged Up Skies

BBC Weather viewers in Scotland from Moray, the Highlands, and Aberdeenshire sent in their photos on Sunday night and Monday morning.

While the latest sky show may have delighted astronomy enthusiasts and stargazers alike, experts have expressed concern that a "major issue" is imminent due to the proliferation of satellites that threatens to "clog up" the night skies.

While satellites are an essential tool for everything from internet connectivity as well as navigation to studies on climate change, there is one issue that an overabundance of the technology poses.

The University of California, Davis' Tony Tyson, a professor of physics and astronomy, predicted that the sky in 2030 would look very ghastly. The University of California, Davis' Tony Tyson, a professor of physics and astronomy, predicted that the sky in 2030 would look very ghastly.

The UK Space Agency (UKHSA), the Department of Business, and The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) met last week for the Dark and Quiet Skies conference in a call for tighter regulation.

Also Read: Weird Blue Spiral Spotted in Hawaii Night Sky, Japan Observatory Explains Mysterious Sighting 

Satellites

As space companies launch satellites at astounding rates, there are currently more than 8,000 in orbit around the Earth. In actuality, this has increased fourfold since 2019. This rate will only increase as the commercial space industry expands globally.

Launches of satellites are typically a leading indicator of a country's developing space industry.

Consider the excitement surrounding Virgin Orbit's failed attempt to launch a rocket from Spaceport Cornwall in the UK last month. Nine satellites were supposed to be launched into low-Earth orbit by the private company's rocket, but it was unable to do so due to an anomaly.

Although this launch was unsuccessful, SaxaVord, a Scottish company, hopes to carry out another launch by the summer and, once its Shetland site is fully operational, hopes to carry out 30 satellite launches annually.

The UK's developing space industry is experiencing tremendous excitement, but the scale expands significantly when companies like SpaceX are included. For its Starlink internet constellation, for example, Elon Musk's company is prepared to launch an additional 44,000 satellites. Approximately 400,000 satellites have been authorized for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) globally, Express reports.

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