Take a close look at this picture. Can you tell what it is? This photo was taken Wednesday afternoon in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Samantha Weise thought there was something odd with the clouds over her head and she was right! (Take a look at the other photos she took: #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7)These are called "hole-punch" clouds and are most likely caused by high-altitude aircraft that "stir up" the atmosphere. Microscopic particles are given off by the aircraft's engines. These exhaust particles allow water molecules to collect (ice nuclei) and drop out of the cirro-cumulus cloud deck. Numerous aircraft out of Volk Field National Guard Base were doing practice runs north of Madison on Wednesday. A few of the aircraft may have done some loops, causing the downward draft of air, punching holes in the thin layer of clouds. Pretty neat! -ERIC
2 comments:
This is awesome Eric! snoit!
These are so cool. I meant to take some for you the other night at my house. I thought they were northern lights but it was really a "cloud" I guess that ran as far as I could see north to south in a very thin high strip highlighted by the moon. I have also noticed lots of meteors lately when i am out late feeding. Saw two night before last, one last night, ones bright enough to catch my eye while working
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