Weather Phenomenon: Rare Lenticular Clouds
Some people think lenticular clouds look like a stack of pancakes, but most people think they look like “saucer clouds.” It’s been said that these clouds are a possible explanation for some reported UFO sightings.
These clouds are more dense, colder, than the surrounding air, so if the ambient weather doesn’t change then it just appears to hover without moving. If conditions are “just right,” lenticular clouds can form about anywhere. Yet this meteorological phenomenon most often appears over mountain peaks and extinct volcanoes.
SEE ALSO: Beautiful strange and rare cloud formations
Photographers love to capture them, so thanks to their hard work, here are fabulous photos of lovely lenticular clouds.
Photo by Marc Veraart
“The clouds have been mistaken for UFOs (or ‘visual cover’ for UFOs), particularly the round ‘flying saucer’-type, because these clouds have a characteristic lens appearance and smooth saucer-like shape; also, because lenticular clouds generally do not form over low-lying or flat terrain, many people have never seen one and are not aware clouds with that shape can exist,” states Wikipedia.
These lens-like clouds formed over the Alabama Hills at sunrise, Inyo County, California. Photo by Ed Post
New Year Eve’s in Amecameca, Mexico. Iztaccihuatl is a 5,230 m (17,160 ft) dormant volcanic mountain, the third highest in Mexico. Cue the science fiction filming and the opening shot of an alien UFO. Photo by sandy.redding
Meanwhile, in Palm Springs it appeared as if the aliens were about to start beaming people up from their houses. Photo by cardiffjackie
Sunrise at Leith Harbor, Stromness Bay, South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic. Photo by Butterfly austral
Afternoon display over the “old harbor” Port Vell in Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Miquel González Page
Photo by Juan Tello
Photo by sandy.redding
The photographer noted, “A huge group of lenticular cloud amass around Mount Iwate, a stratovolcano in Japan.” Photo by jasohill
The photographer noted, “A huge group of lenticular cloud amass around Mount Iwate, a stratovolcano in Japan.” Photo by jasohill
taccihuatl mountain, minutes before the last sunset of 2010. New Year Eve’s in Amecameca, Mexico. Iztaccihuatl is a 5,230 m (17,160 ft) dormant volcanic mountain, the third highest in Mexico. Cue the science fiction filming and the opening shot of an alien UFO movie. Photo by Daniel Iván