These saucer-shaped clouds look just like UFOs

[rangerrebew]

These saucer-shaped clouds look just like UFOs

But they don't come from outer space.
By Cici Zhang July 5, 2017


The disc-shaped formations above look a lot like UFOs. Thousands of baffled onlookers even report them as such each year. But this alien atmospheric phenomenon starts right here on Earth.

An isolated mountain is the first ingredient. The lone peak forces flowing air upward as gravity pushes it down. This triggers a continuous up-and-down atmospheric wave above the mountain. Normally, you can’t see this wave, but if the temperature in its peak drops to the dew point (when water condenses), clouds will begin to develop.

http://www.popsci.com/ufo-clouds

[Oceander]

Kewl!!

[Suppressed]

@jmyrlefuller
Lenticular cloud ping

[Fishrrman]

They do look spooky!

[LateForLunch]

'See them all the time in Southern Mexifornia. The clouds acquire the cusp-shape by molding to the mountain, then when the larger air mass moves away, the clouds retain the shape.

Many people don't realise that any white cloud is made of ice particles, not liquid water vapor. So it has the viscosity of a dissolved solid or powder more than an amorphous liquid.