If you see this again, find an AM radio and tune into a completely unused frequency. If you hear a pop or crackle in the radio close to the time that the light changes shape you know that it's being caused by lightning.
neat high-altitude ice-crystal behaviour! I'll have to keep my eyes open, when the storm season swings around again. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to see something similar :)
From what i've been able to dig up, my best guess is that this phenomenon is caused by Pileus clouds that forms on top of cumulus or cumulonimbus clouds. The Pileus clouds that are made of tiny ice particles, refracts light really well. They are so small that they arrange with the magnetic fields of the thunder cloud. What then makes them change shape rapidly is due to the magnetic fields changing when a lightning discharges within the cloud.
You are correct, sir! The 0:40 second mark gave it away! I didn't listen to the sound before. I'd recommend listeners to to at least 0:35 and watch when it hits 0:40
looks like it could be some kind of heat vent on top of a building, the distortion caused by random bursts of heat could make it look like the clouds are warping
This is a living creature. It lives in our upper atmosphere, coming down to feed on lightning. I've seen them in Tucson. They can communicate thought your mind.
@Wimx84 I think you meant electric fields. There's no magnetic field associated with mostly static charge distribution in a cloud. There will be a temporary magnetic field as currents flow in the cloud, and of course there's plenty during actual discharge. But what we see here is ice crystal electrometer needles by the billion :)
I saw this happening in sky in East Texas one night not too long ago. There was a lot of really low cloud coverage because it had just stopped raining, and it was on a Friday evening when the lights from the city and the football field were illuminating the clouds and sky. I saw it happening in four places simultaneously, and then very quickly all four part raced together and converged as one. then dispelled, sort of like you see for a second at :40. I thought I was crazy, now I know what I saw.
Flux tubes, albeit atypical alternating polarity as opposed to varying differential. MHD litterally, note cloud forming at top of screen as it jumps towards top coiling down towards the switch.
I'd suggest reading up on "triple point of water", "nucleation", "Wilson chamber", and "cosmic radiation"... When all the conditions are just right, there's probably a much more mundane and natural explanation of what we're seeing here. This might be nice subject to do a writeup on if you're earth sciences major doing a term paper on meteorology. (I'm not. But it looks like an interesting phenomena that would warrant some research.)
actually the cloud isn't changing its shape, it just the orientation of the ice crystals are realigning due the electrical charge, so what you have is the ice crystals that were refracting light towards now are pointing away and the ones that weren't are now pointed at you.
Can't help but notice this happens at the exact same time as CME impact, however a jumping sun dog is not out of the question. If it's aliens, I'm not surprised. They must finally be getting tired of knocking over corn plants and need something to break up the monotony.
I heard about this! It's that cool new iphone application that allows you to modify weather from your phone. It's called H.A.A.R.P. if I remember correctly.
@truvelocity Um, no, its not. It is pretty easy to tell its there, considering when the lens moves, the movement stays where it should be and does not move with the lens.
There's cirrus cloud at the top of the thunderstorm, cirrus made of ice crystals, the ice crystals act like Iron Filings attracted to a Magnet, the crystals orientate themselves along the electrostatic field of the thunderstorm. When there's a lighting discharge, the the electrostatic field suddenly changes and the ice crystals re-orientate to a new direction and reflect the sunlight.
Looks to be a spot light. You can make out the beam of light on lower left of screen, in later part of the video. Still it's very interesting how the clouds seem to move...
@rockeraditya - thanks for letting me know. it is amazing to think that I simply recorded this on my iPhone and posted it because I was curious to find out the natural effect that caused it. Didn't realise it would prove toooo popular. The power of nature is simply amazing :)
"The hypothesis holds that a lightning discharge in a thundercloud can temporarily change the electric field above the cloud where charged ice crystals were reflecting sunlight. The new electric field quickly re-orients the geometric crystals to a new orientation that reflects sunlight differently. Soon, the old electric field may be restored, causing the ice crystals to return to their original orientation."
Looks like a piece of curved plastic sheet in front of the camera and lit from a side. It reflects the light and someone is gently pushing the plastic causing the reflections to change shapes.
jeromesims well NASA’s team had received it - as it was featured on their video of the day a few years back... and they checked with someone in metrology... apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap111108.html
@Aaron Brigatti Wow, featured by NASA. That's cool. Thanks for the links. I'll look into the explanation of sundogs. Seems like you were very lucky to capture this. Are you convinced by the explanations?
jeromesims yeah it makes sense. I know it was a strange phenomenon - and I couldn’t understand what it was. I know storm clouds were building in the skies - and I was looking exactly where the sun was - so the explanation does fit... very strange but amazing...
Might be a varying electrostatic charge in the thundercloud affecting the orientation ice crystals. Ah, I was right... "Time varying ice crystal orientation in thunderstorms observed with multiparameter radar" and "Alignment of atmospheric mineral dust due to electric field"
@tHe6RuStY6sAiLoR6 ITS A CAR WINDSHIELD with a POOL of WATER on it. The windows in the doors of the car are down so that it sounds like its outside. The window is TINTED slightly. The water is the part where it separates darker blue... that's the pooled water on the windshield. Its OBVIOUS.
@kubarebo Yeah thats what I meant, makes sense that when there are no discharges it's actually just a big accumulator, no current flowing = no magnetic field :)
looks like ufo's with cloaking devices using teleportation to that point in the cloud to come to earth, and then fly away to more specific places on earth, like the clouds react with intergalactic portals
@notubeplease I take it you're not here from the NASA APOD website then? The explanation is that lightning discharges in the cloud cause rapid changes in the electric fields surrounding ice crystals in the cloud, making them reflect sunlight differently very rapidly.
First I saw a face in it and I was like, "Oh wow it's a face." And when the cloud started tripping it looked like the face lost his nose and I was like "Oh look, now it's Voldemort..." xD
Jumping sundogs. One of the strangest phenomena in nature. Apparently, only recently "noticed" by anyone, and that would be the only mystery.
If you see this again, find an AM radio and tune into a completely unused frequency. If you hear a pop or crackle in the radio close to the time that the light changes shape you know that it's being caused by lightning.
A glitch in the matrix.
am flattered to see this being featured as the image of the day by NASA's APOD - thanks folks! And most importantly, I do like their explanation! :)
i'm glad someone else is seeing this kind of stuff...i thought it was just my eyes seeing these kind of things in the sky.
neat high-altitude ice-crystal behaviour! I'll have to keep my eyes open, when the storm season swings around again. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to see something similar :)
From what i've been able to dig up, my best guess is that this phenomenon is caused by Pileus clouds that forms on top of cumulus or cumulonimbus clouds. The Pileus clouds that are made of tiny ice particles, refracts light really well. They are so small that they arrange with the magnetic fields of the thunder cloud. What then makes them change shape rapidly is due to the magnetic fields changing when a lightning discharges within the cloud.
Light reflections changing due to clouds moving around at high altitudes. It's same effect we experience on the ground on a windy partly cloudy day.
I saw two beings of light walking in the clouds . Incredible
Great video! Learn something new everyday. It's a Crown Flash. Some people say this is Harp. Who knows?
You are correct, sir! The 0:40 second mark gave it away! I didn't listen to the sound before. I'd recommend listeners to to at least 0:35 and watch when it hits 0:40
looks like it could be some kind of heat vent on top of a building, the distortion caused by random bursts of heat could make it look like the clouds are warping
This is a living creature. It lives in our upper atmosphere, coming down to feed on lightning. I've seen them in Tucson. They can communicate thought your mind.
10 yrs. You still ok?
thanks for the detailed explanation! the effect is pretty cool.
@Wimx84 I think you meant electric fields. There's no magnetic field associated with mostly static charge distribution in a cloud. There will be a temporary magnetic field as currents flow in the cloud, and of course there's plenty during actual discharge. But what we see here is ice crystal electrometer needles by the billion :)
I saw this happening in sky in East Texas one night not too long ago. There was a lot of really low cloud coverage because it had just stopped raining, and it was on a Friday evening when the lights from the city and the football field were illuminating the clouds and sky. I saw it happening in four places simultaneously, and then very quickly all four part raced together and converged as one. then dispelled, sort of like you see for a second at :40. I thought I was crazy, now I know what I saw.
thank you thats all ppl ask for an explantion to werid things like this thanks heaps mate
Flux tubes, albeit atypical alternating polarity as opposed to varying differential. MHD litterally, note cloud forming at top of screen as it jumps towards top coiling down towards the switch.
I will shorten that for you. It was aliens. Admit it! They are coming. Wake up!
TY abrigatti.I've seen another sundog
but it looked like a Varilight changing colors slowly.
Pretty cool. First time I've seen or heard of this.
Got your link from Slashdot... That was cool looking!
the reflex shadow from your window man
@sematic1 It's awesome to watch, and even more awesome to know how it works. Thanks for that!
I'd suggest reading up on "triple point of water", "nucleation", "Wilson chamber", and "cosmic radiation"... When all the conditions are just right, there's probably a much more mundane and natural explanation of what we're seeing here.
This might be nice subject to do a writeup on if you're earth sciences major doing a term paper on meteorology. (I'm not. But it looks like an interesting phenomena that would warrant some research.)
Disfrutar de esta maravilla nunca antes vista, sin buscar explicaciones.
this actually has a pretty good dramaturgy
Ice crystals aligning to Earth's moving magnetic field. Simple but yet unusual display of the effect.
Crazy! I have never seen a cloud do THAT before!! :O
Awesome footage. Very bizarre!
Electrical/magnetic static activities above heavily moistured clouds. This is almost like how lightnings are formed among storm clouds.
actually the cloud isn't changing its shape, it just the orientation of the ice crystals are realigning due the electrical charge, so what you have is the ice crystals that were refracting light towards now are pointing away and the ones that weren't are now pointed at you.
Can't help but notice this happens at the exact same time as CME impact, however a jumping sun dog is not out of the question.
If it's aliens, I'm not surprised. They must finally be getting tired of knocking over corn plants and need something to break up the monotony.
I heard about this! It's that cool new iphone application that allows you to modify weather from your phone. It's called H.A.A.R.P. if I remember correctly.
@truvelocity Um, no, its not. It is pretty easy to tell its there, considering when the lens moves, the movement stays where it should be and does not move with the lens.
@tHe6RuStY6sAiLoR6 A window does not move from afar, either. The camera is underneath a window. Its a water droplet being breathed on.
@olmecbones so, in general, very general, it works just like LCD? ;)
and how did you reach this conclusion? what is your background? what is your experience with such?
There's cirrus cloud at the top of the thunderstorm, cirrus made of ice crystals, the ice crystals act like Iron Filings attracted to a Magnet, the crystals orientate themselves along the electrostatic field of the thunderstorm.
When there's a lighting discharge, the the electrostatic field suddenly changes and the ice crystals re-orientate to a new direction and reflect the sunlight.
That's plausible. It reminds me of those newly-discovered high-altitude discharges that cunims shoot into space. "Sprites"?
This is very interesting. Although It's hard to believe it's due to re-aligning crystals due to electric discharge.
Looks to be a spot light. You can make out the beam of light on lower left of screen, in later part of the video. Still it's very interesting how the clouds seem to move...
I don't know what it is, but it is spooky for sure.
@abrigatti Yeah, I get APOD daily. Loved seeing your video this morning as I had watched it here on YT first. Congrats bro.
へーこんな現象があったのですね。まったく知りませんでした。
液晶を仕込んだガラスに電圧をかけることによって、視覚をコントロールする仕組みと同じようなものなのでしょうね。是非、自分でも観測してみたいです。今度の夏が楽しみです。
Aliens, bro. Friggin' electric fields frakkin' with the clouds? Can we say awesome space ships?
@rockeraditya - thanks for letting me know. it is amazing to think that I simply recorded this on my iPhone and posted it because I was curious to find out the natural effect that caused it. Didn't realise it would prove toooo popular. The power of nature is simply amazing :)
That's glass and moisture (water drops pooling) from breath or a breeze on the glass dividing from the outside.
"The hypothesis holds that a lightning discharge in a thundercloud can temporarily change the electric field above the cloud where charged ice crystals were reflecting sunlight. The new electric field quickly re-orients the geometric crystals to a new orientation that reflects sunlight differently. Soon, the old electric field may be restored, causing the ice crystals to return to their original orientation."
loooks like some sort of lens effect
Looks like a piece of curved plastic sheet in front of the camera and lit from a side. It reflects the light and someone is gently pushing the plastic causing the reflections to change shapes.
Looks so, than a magnetic field. To me.
I think you captured the high altitude tornado from closer to the cloud. See if the date and time and place don't match this one: Strange Cloudy
how come it isnt seen often then?
just asking not being rude...
That's so cool.
@Aaron Brigatti Interesting video. Have you sent the video to any meteorological institutions?
jeromesims well NASA’s team had received it - as it was featured on their video of the day a few years back... and they checked with someone in metrology... apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap111108.html
jeromesims www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3136061/What-mystery-beam-light-clouds-Strange-jumping-sundog-caused-shifting-electric-fields.html#article-3136061
@Aaron Brigatti Wow, featured by NASA. That's cool. Thanks for the links. I'll look into the explanation of sundogs. Seems like you were very lucky to capture this. Are you convinced by the explanations?
jeromesims yeah it makes sense. I know it was a strange phenomenon - and I couldn’t understand what it was. I know storm clouds were building in the skies - and I was looking exactly where the sun was - so the explanation does fit... very strange but amazing...
looks like someone's up there with a torch lol...
I feel a disturb ens in the force!!
When did they last update the graphics drivers on this planet?
Might be a varying electrostatic charge in the thundercloud affecting the orientation ice crystals.
Ah, I was right...
"Time varying ice crystal orientation in thunderstorms observed with multiparameter radar" and "Alignment of atmospheric mineral dust due to electric field"
wow, amazing, just amazing!
by any chance, do you remember how big was the area that was moving?
@aylera 4th gen ones record native 1080p.
At first I was like "what am I looking at?", but then I was like "Oh my god, we're all going to die!"
@tHe6RuStY6sAiLoR6 ITS A CAR WINDSHIELD with a POOL of WATER on it. The windows in the doors of the car are down so that it sounds like its outside. The window is TINTED slightly. The water is the part where it separates darker blue... that's the pooled water on the windshield. Its OBVIOUS.
Looks like a megnetic influence.
@kubarebo Yeah thats what I meant, makes sense that when there are no discharges it's actually just a big accumulator, no current flowing = no magnetic field :)
Removed comment, it is just a water droplet on a piece of plastic, the plastic is being warped back and forth.
@budweisex ...or it is just a drop of water being compressed between two sheets of glass.
looks like ufo's with cloaking devices using teleportation to that point in the cloud to come to earth, and then fly away to more specific places on earth, like the clouds react with intergalactic portals
Matrix has you, Neo!
Yup that's is what I thought....still not sure what caused this?
They are here!
looks like a water bubble on the glass above the pool
@notubeplease
I take it you're not here from the NASA APOD website then?
The explanation is that lightning discharges in the cloud cause rapid changes in the electric fields surrounding ice crystals in the cloud, making them reflect sunlight differently very rapidly.
Do you think it is Sprite Lightning?
When I see this clip it looks as if something is trying to break through an invisible barrier. Something Huge.
Chill guys... there was just a glitch in the gameplay of God 2.0
This thing is called a drop of water between two sheets of glass, and you know it.
very cool
First I saw a face in it and I was like, "Oh wow it's a face." And when the cloud started tripping it looked like the face lost his nose and I was like "Oh look, now it's Voldemort..." xD
its a good video u got there...
amazing
An example of iCloud lag.
Inception, we're all in a dream within a dream, that explains it
that is a real anomaly..very,very odd! freaky..
@definty on an iPhone? :)
@abrigatti what was the explanation?
I'm with Mulder, I want to believe!!
@TheSchimmi ...or it's just a drop of water being compressed between two sheets of glass.
I'm not from the site but bookmark it as my home page. This posting is a credit to abrigatti and appreciated by the scientific community.
You can see a beam projected from the ground.
This is called a SUNDOG! ...this film was fast fowarded to make it look like it was moving and twitching like that.
"Aziz, light!"
Am I mistaken or didn't it spell out SURRENDER DOROTHY?
or Pileus (look up both on Wikipedia) - possible?
All hail the Glow Cloud!
what iphone could record 1080p HD in August? iPhone 4s was the first 1080p HD iPhone and it didn't come out until October.... o_O
It seems as if someone is editing the sky back and forth with some type of 3d modeling tool.
Yeh its Ice crystals. (lols sarcastically) How many times have NASA used that excuse ?
just a reflection in a clean window.... I think...
Oh wait...that's the new iCloud server rebooting. Duh