Many people in the US state of Wyoming were shocked when they looked up at the sky and saw a strange but beautiful cloud formation.
It was as if the waves of the sea were crashing into the sky.
“It was very special and I soon realized that I needed to register,” said Rachel Gordon, one of the people who managed to capture the footage of the training and post it on social networks.
The undulating phenomenon was seen at the summit of the Bighorn Mountains on Tuesday (6/12) in the city of Sheridan, 520 km north of the state capital Cheyenne.
These formations, known as Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, occur when a faster stream of air moves over air passing below.
“It was an incredible moment,” Gordon told the BBC.
Image: GETTY IMAGES
“I’m glad now that other people can also benefit from this experience,” he added.
BBC Weather’s Matt Taylor thinks the footage is one of the most impressive Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds he’s ever seen.
“Part of the beauty of Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds is that they really show the fluidity of the atmosphere,” he said.
“Like waves in the ocean, the atmosphere moves and reacts to the surrounding environment. The air effectively rises and falls on itself.”
The cloud’s formation is named after the scientists Lord Kelvin and Hermann von Helmholtz, who studied the physics behind the phenomenon.
The UK-based Cloud Appreciation Society describes these features as a crown jewel in the collection of many cloud watchers.
These clouds, also known as floating clouds, are thought to be a possible inspiration for Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” painting.
– This text was published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/geral-63948025.
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.