Aliens! Okay, maybe not, but the shape of these clouds will sure make you take a second look. These clouds aren’t always shaped like alien spaceships from 50s sci-fi movies though, but sometimes rather like a stack of lens shapes, a single large lens shape, or even just a particularly long cloud. Lenticular clouds are formed through air moisture that condenses from an updraft that has been interrupted by a mountain or other large formation and has come back down. And after this air moisture condenses and forms a cloud it evaporates again, leaving behind the lens shaped cloud formation you see in the picture above. --
http://listverse.com/Where stable moist air flows over a mountain or a range of mountains, a series of large-scale standing waves may form on the downwind side. If the temperature at the crest of the wave drops to the dew point, moisture in the air may condense to form lenticular clouds. As the moist air moves back down into the trough of the wave, the cloud may evaporate back into vapor. Under certain conditions, long strings of lenticular clouds can form near the crest of each successive wave, creating a formation known as a 'wave cloud.' The wave systems cause large vertical air movements and so enough water vapor may condense to produce precipitation. The clouds have been mistaken for UFOs (or "visual cover" for UFOs) because these clouds have a characteristic lens appearance and smooth saucer-like shape. Bright colors (called Irisation) are sometimes seen along the edge of lenticular clouds. These clouds have also been known to form in cases where a mountain does not exist, but rather as the result of shear winds created by a front. --
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Topic: Lenticular Clouds (Read 1068 times)