Glowing "Meteor Smoke" Clouds Appear Over Antarctica

Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan, Gawker Media





These polar mesospheric clouds in the Northern Hemisphere were shot by the Expedition 31 crew aboard the ISS in June of 2012. NASA/AP.


These specks of ice are incredibly small, since they form in the very highest reaches of the atmosphere-which is almost a vacuum. According to, the cloud particles can be up to 100 times smaller than the particles that make up a normal cloud:


Back when the clouds were first discovered, in the mid-19th century, you had to go deep into the Arctic or Antarctic landscape to see them. But, today, they're appearing more and more often above inhabited regions (for example, over Glasgow in the lead image).

NASA explains that the increase in methane in our atmosphere is to blame. When the gas reaches 60 or 70 miles above earth, it oxidizes to create more water vapor-adding to to the noctilucent clouds. NASA's scientists describe the increase as a "canary in a coal mine" for climate change.


A 2008 NASA image of noctilucent clouds show the phenomena as the ISS passed over western Mongolia. NASA/AP.

So keep an eye out for these luminous, ragged clouds-but keep in mind that while they're beautiful, they're also an ominous symbol of how we're changing not only the earth, but the atmosphere above it. [NASA; PhysOrg;]

Lead image: euphbass on Flickr.

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