STEVE : My new preferent atmospheric condition phenomenon .
1.This solar halo observed in China.Solar halosoccur when light from the sun or moon reflects off ice crystals in cirrus clouds.
2.These"sun dogs" on either sideof the real sun that occur 22 degrees on the left, right, or on both the left and right of the sun, depending on where ice crystals are present.
3.Thesemammatus clouds, which typically form when there’s turbulence in cumulonimbus clouds.
4.This lenticular cloud that looks photoshopped.Lenticular cloudsform when the air is still and wind blows constantly from the same direction.
5.The belt of Venus,a pink bandover the darkened horizon at a specific time during twilight that’s reminiscent of the belt the roman goddess Venus wore.
6.This fire rainbowhere that’s caused by, you guessed it, ice particles. The particles in the sky paired with the sun at a certain angle. The light refracts and creates a rainbow effect on the cloud.
7.This red sprite, which I mention every chance I get because HOW WEIRD, RIGHT?!Red lightning occurshigh in the atmosphere. Even though it can be as much as 30 miles across, it only lasts a fraction of a second, making it difficult to observe.
8.Thisdouble rainbowis caused by light reflecting twice through a water droplet. It’s pretty impressive, but…
9….I would say this supernumerary rainbow is more impressive. Yeah, that’s right, it’s a rainbow with extra colors. These rainbows occur when all of the falling water droplets are roughly the same size.
10.These “undulated asperitas"cloudsthat I had to make sure were real because they look like they came straight out of a Dr. Seuss book. They’re apparently so rare, they escaped classification until 2015.
11.This “incredibly rare” upward lightning strike that’s making me wonder why Thor has it out for us.
12.Thissun pillarthat occurs when the light from the sun reflects off ice crystals falling through the air.
13.When sunlight diffracts from the ice crystals inside a cloud, they create"mother of pearl” cloudsor nacreous clouds.
14.This is not an island in the distance. It’s afata morgana, a type of atmospheric mirage created by refraction.
15.These weird webbynoctilucent cloudsthat are a pretty rare formation that can only be seen in the clear summer months.
16.ThisBrocken spectre, which is actually just your shadow cast on mist and amplified below you. Sometimes, a rainbow halo can form around it. WILD.
17.Finally, my new favorite weather phenomenon, a STEVE.STEVE stands forStrong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, and is essentially a light ribbon in the sky caused by hot plasma. STEVEs take place in the same area that auroras do.
In summary, the Earth is amazing, and I need to do more googling.
