The Veins of Heaven
Transfusing sunlight
through a darkened sky,
this beautiful display
of noctilucent clouds
was captured earlier this week,
reflected in calm waters from Nykobing Mors, Denmark.
From the edge of space, about 80 kilometers above Earth's surface, the
icy clouds
themselves still reflect sunlight, though the Sun is below the
horizon as seen from the ground.
Usually spotted at high latitudes in summer months
the night shining clouds have made an early
appearance this year
as northern nights grow short.
Also known as polar mesopheric clouds they
are understood to form
as water vapor driven into the cold
upper atmosphere condenses on the fine dust particles supplied by
disintegrating meteors or volcanic ash.
NASA's AIM mission provides
daily projections of noctilucent clouds
as
seen from space.