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watch One-Minute World News Last Updated: Thursday, 15 January,
2004, 12:48 GMT 'Hole in sky' amazes scientists By Dr David
Whitehouse BBC News Online science editor  Rarely seen: A "hole-
punch" cloud  A giant hole that appeared in a uniform layer of
cloud over Mobile, Alabama, in the US, has produced some
intriguing photos.  Local resident Joel Knain said as he took
pictures: "I immediately realised that I was seeing something
unique."  Meteorological experts believe the hole formed when
ice-crystals from a passing plane fell through the cloud,
causing the water droplets in it to evaporate.  Experts say the
process involved is related to that of cloud seeding, which is
used to make rain over crop fields.  Stuck inside of Mobile  The
unusual phenomenon was observed on 11 December last year.  "I
ran inside to get my camera and shot-off 10-12 frames to capture
the scene," Joel told BBC News Online.  "I would guess that we
stood there for 10-15 minutes