© Svetlana Kazina"The clouds in my photos are so thin that they look more like lace."
"The clouds in my photos are so thin that they look more like lace" - Svetlana Kazina
Svetlana Kazina, who lives in the Altai Mountains, snapped these breathtaking pictures of the glowing sky over Belukha mountain, Siberia's highest peak (4,506 metres/14,783ft).
Belukha Mountain, literally 'whitey' in Russian, is the highest peak of the Altai Mountains in Russia. Located in the Altai Republic, Belukha is a three-peaked mountain massif that rises along the border of Russia and Kazakhstan, just a few dozen miles north of the point where this border meets with the border of China.
The images show thin clouds resembling soap bubbles in colours.
Iridescent clouds, also known as rainbow clouds, occur when sunlight scatters through water droplets in the atmosphere.
© Svetlana Kazina
Rainbow clouds are a rare optical phenomenon when thin clouds close to the Sun change to spectral colours.
© Svetlana Kazina
© Svetlana Kazina
The wind at this height was so strong that the cloud 'lace' changed every second. "
The Altai Mountains in southern Siberia include some of Russia's most stunning scenery, a haven for travellers who want to escape from the modern world.
© Svetlana Kazina
Comment: 'Rare' and wondrous sights in the skies are becoming ever more common on our changing planet. Their 'iridescence' is thought to be the result of ice crystals, typically seen in polar stratospheric clouds, also called nacreous cloud. The phenomenon is named after the Greek goddess Iris, goddess of rainbows and messenger of Zeus and Hera to the mortals below...
- Planetary wave supercharges extremely rare southern noctilucent clouds event
- Our changing atmosphere: Stunning iridescent cloud over Mexico, complex solar halo over Russia and a triple rainbow over Norway
- Strange but beautiful skies: Noctilucent 'tornado' cloud, auroras, double and twin rainbow plus a midnight rainbow
- Strange skies: Red Sprites in Oklahoma, aurora Steve in Canada, iridescent clouds in Illinois and noctilucent clouds in Denmark
Also check out SOTT radio's:- Behind the Headlines: Earth changes in an electric universe: Is climate change really man-made?
- Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: Interview with Laura Knight-Jadczyk and Pierre Lescaudron
As well as SOTT's monthly Earth Changes Summary - November 2019: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs: