Early this morning, a rare natural wonder appeared over Ireland – rainbow clouds. These clouds take on a rainbow-like iridescent or rainbow appearance, which is extremely rare in Ireland.
They are called pearlescent clouds, also known as polar stratospheric clouds. They are like rainbows in the sky, bringing surprise and beauty to people.
Pearlescent clouds are different from the clouds we usually see. They form high in the stratosphere at an altitude of about 15 to 25 kilometers and usually appear in the polar regions, when the sun is just below the horizon.
These clouds are special because they only form in extremely cold conditions, with temperatures as low as -78°C. As a result, they are more common during the winter months in the polar regions.
The beauty of pearlescent clouds lies in the fact that they are made up of ice crystals that are finer than ordinary clouds. These tiny ice crystals refract sunlight in a special way, acting like a prism in nature, breaking it down into rainbow colors to create a unique iridescent appearance.
Due to the extremely high altitude of these clouds, combined with the curvature of the Earth, they are able to capture sunlight below the horizon and reflect these rays back to the ground, creating a spectacular visual effect.
They are most likely to occur in places like Scandinavia and northern Canada, and because of this, they are often referred to as polar stratospheric clouds.
Due to the extremely low temperatures required, pearlescent clouds are usually only visible in Ireland when the cold air in the stratosphere around the polar regions is diverted and temporarily hovering over Ireland.