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Noctilucent London

23 June 2020
Astronomy

At https://spaceweather.com (June 23rd 2020)  noctilucent clouds over London (see images below). The London Eye and the Thames with the noctilucents overhead. Images taken by Phil Halper and reappearing variously on the web, even on https://wattsupwiththat.com/ ….

   … Usually you have to go under a dark sky at higher latitudes to see noctilucents, so this is an unusual sight. Clouds visible at night. Over London …

   … the Tower of London and noctilucents …

   … The clouds are seeded by meteoric dust particles and form every year in the summer when wisps of water vapour rise into the mesosphere allowing ice crystals to form around the meteoric dust (always present). Cold temperatures in the mesosphere have give a boost to noctilucents this year. The best time to see them is is the few hours immediately after sunset (or if you are an early riser, just before daylight. I wonder what the ancients thought of them.

Meanwhile, Comet Neowise is fast approaching the Sun. It wil be a naked eye object in July, it is thought.

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