Were aliens real? Were they finally coming down to Earth after so long? If not, then what is that? This was the thought process of many in Turkey who were staring in awe at a UFO shaped cloud hovering above them.
This was actually not an effort of communication by aliens; instead, this was actually a common event near mountains. The atmosphere is usually multi-layered like an onion where every layer is completely separate from the others. However, if there is an object blocking the path, such as a mountain, some problems arise. The moist air from below has to move upwards, breaking the carefully created layers. Thus, the moisture works with the increasingly colder temperatures as the air travels upward. Then, the air chills to a dew point and forms a cloud such as the one seen in Bursa, Turkey. Mount Uludag’s massive height makes it a prime area for such clouds that are known as lenticular clouds which are stationary clouds.
Strong winds blow across complex terrain, causing the water vapor in the air mass to alternately compress, then decompress, and thus condense into shapes which roughly mirror the terrain beneath.
NASA
What made this one special?
Now that we know these sights are more-or-less common, what made this sight far more stunning? For one, like in all other moments in life, the timing was crucial. Taking place right before sunrise allowed the cloud to be bathed in the sun’s red-orange rays before the sun even rose. The images of the lenticular cloud went viral; however, several people around the world question its legitimacy. There is no doubt––these clouds are real.
Other types
Furthermore, several others have been in our world for a long time. For example, the Levanter Cloud over Gibraltar is an everyday sight for the average citizen who lives there. Lenticular clouds are not the only fascinating type of clouds to be seen.
Arcus clouds, which can be classified as roll or shelf clouds, are usually seen before storms. They are long, thin, and lie close to the ground-usually beneath Cumulonimbus clouds. Mammatus clouds, which makes the sky look like a layer of bubble wrap, requires the air around it to be warmer than it and the humidity level to be high. Cirrus Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds make it seem like the ocean flew up to the sky since the clouds take the shape of cresting waves. Cloud formations take all shapes and sizes from a wall to a hole in the sky to thin ribbons.
Clouds are Mother Nature’s canvas in its most beautiful and constant form. Coming in many shapes and sizes, they make us marvel every time, and the lenticular cloud in Gibraltar is only the latest example.