Better late than never, or so the saying goes. The same can certainly be said for my photographs of a noctilucent maelstrom that descended across Central Scotland a week ago on Sunday just passed (12.07.09). I had no idea, after settling down to watch the fourth possible launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, that I would be treated to such an incredible display later that night. It was only when I took a peek from the bedroom window that I was confronted with an extraordinary scene.
With all thoughts of the space shuttle launch forgotten I sat completely hypnotized as the sky slowly rippled, and shimmered in the fading light. However. It wasn’t to last, and within 45 minutes the entire event seemingly evaporated as the Sun sank lower below the horizon, but I did manage to fire off a number of shots from my hastily assembled camera. Two of which you can see below.
When it comes to classifying NCLs I’m no expert, but I’d definitely say that this was a Type 5 display in terms of brightness. It was also big, and stretched over 60° from the northern horizon to the north eastern horizon. What structure categories the individual clouds fall into is anyone’s guess! It will be interesting to see what NCL activity follows on from this, but I’m hoping things can only get better.
Tags: DSLR, Noctilucent Clouds
Wow, I’m jealous of you folks up north :) Great shots, that’s a heck of a lot of detail.
Beautiful! Those are great shots. Hypnotic is a great way to describe how that must have looked in person.
Aaron, and Jeremy thank you both for the kind words.
Aaron it was an amazing sight, and probably the most impressive NCL display I’ve seen thus far. Living at a latitude of 56° north has it’s advantages, but it can also be a curse. You’ve got those nice planetary views not to mention the warmer climate. How about we do a trade? :-)
Jeremy I cannot put into words just how stunning these clouds look when you see them with your own eyes. They are a wondrous phenomenon to witness first hand.
Clear skies,
Ewan