A fascinating cloud formation spotted in South Africa has caught the attention of Reddit users.
The image features a yellow-tinted cloud that rises vertically against a dark, purple night sky, captured in Cape Town. The poster, who shared the photo from their boyfriend’s backyard, remarked, “I knew it was a cloud, but why did it look like this and linger for days? I’m not sure when it vanished, but everybody was buzzing about it.”
This cloud type is known as lenticular, derived from the Latin word for Lentil, according to meteorological insights. “These can appear saucer-shaped, but they have various forms, including oblong and jellyfish-like. In this instance, you find two ‘stacked’ saucer-shaped lenticular clouds,” explained a meteorologist.
What Are Lenticular Clouds?
Lenticular clouds form when air rises to its condensation point over and downstream of an object, commonly a mountain, though they can result from atmospheric waves as well, said Ferrell.
The National Weather Service (NWS) notes that these clouds occur when stable, fast-moving air is pushed over a topographic barrier, creating a gravity wave—similar to the ripples from a pebble thrown into a pond.
Also called UFO clouds or cap clouds, lenticular clouds can reveal the tops of gravity waves. When air flows over mountains under the right conditions—specifically cold air and water vapor condensation—these clouds develop at the wave crests, according to Earthdata, a NASA site.
Ferrell highlighted a famous UFO sighting from June 24, 1947, when pilot Kenneth Arnold reported seeing shimmering circular objects over the Cascade mountains in Washington, marking the origin of the term “flying saucers.”
A U.S. Air Force investigation later identified Arnold’s sighting as lenticular clouds, common in the Cascades and atop Mt. Rainier.
‘Absolutely Surreal’
Reddit users were intrigued by the unusual formation, sparking various theories about its nature.
BubblesWaiffu commented: “Wow, that night sky looks absolutely surreal! It feels like a sci-fi movie scene.”
Crafty_Crab_7563 theorized: “Could it be an upper atmosphere effect from rocket launches? Just a guess.”
Singular_Thought suggested: “Could also be rocket exhaust; we’ll need date and time to confirm.”
X_CaptainPixel_x mentioned it’s a “yellow dust cloud that swirls around the globe.”
Fine-Piano4980 humorously quipped: “It’s obviously a giant cat paw trying to knock something off a table.”