1 – Fantastic Fiery Rainbows
Residents from Dublin, Ohio were amazed when they saw this amazing sight! “Fire Rainbows” is not really a flaming rainbow but rather an ice halo that is formed by hexagonal, plate-shaped ice crystals present in cirrus clouds. The halo of light is so large that it is seen parallel to the horizon. Technically this brilliant display should be called circumhorizontal arc which is actually a more appropriate name given its shape and size.
2 – An Alien Invasion? No, It’s Supercells!
Residents of east of Carnegie, Oklahoma were afraid of what they saw one day. No, this was not an alien invasion but rather a rare natural phenomenon called supercell. A ‘supercell’ is a type of thunderstorm with a deep rotating updraft. it is dangerous due to the extreme weather that it creates. You would not want to be trapped inside a supercell; inside is violent weather, terrible thunderstorms and hail the size of baseballs!
3 – Enchanting Blue Lava Flows
Unbelievably, neon blue lava flows from the Kawah Ijen Volcano in Indonesia! This beautiful yet deadly sight is the result of large amounts of pure sulfur from the mountain. Pure sulfur emits an icy-violet color as it burns and this toxic flow is at least 239⁰Fahrenheit! But despite this danger, miners from the area still harvest between 176 to 220 pounds of sulfur chunks per trip which is sold for 2.5 cents per pound.
4 – Unimaginable Salt Flat Mirror
The Salar de Uyumi which is the largest salt flat in the world, is located in the Potosm and Oruro departments in southwest Bolivia near the crest of the Andes. When it rains, water accumulates in the salt flat which creates a beautiful mirror-like efffect for miles. It is a favorite tourist attraction in Bolivia and it is also where 50-70% of the world’s lithium reserves is located.
5 – Dare Pop Frozen Methane Bubbles?
The icy waters of Abraham Lake in Alberta, Canada hides a terrible secret. Within its frigid waters are enhanting bubbles; but these are no ordinary bubbles. These are bubbles of highly flammable methane gas trapped inside the icy lake. As the ice cracks in spring, the methane bubbles rise into the atmosphere creating deadly greenhouse gas which has 20 times the effect on climate change than carbon dioxide.
6 – Morning Glory Clouds
On a clear morning on the southern part of the Gulf of Carpentaria in Northern Australia, you can witness a rare meteorological phenomenon called the Morning Glory cloud. These tubes of smoke are actually made of a low-level atmospheric wave and an associated cloud. This occurs as an amplitude-ordered series of waves forming bands of rolling clouds.
7 – Powerful Volcanic Lightning
This fiery sight was taken from Japan’s Sakurajima volcano as it erupted in Februrary 2013. Residents were taken aback at the sight of dangerous lava and powerful lightning which is appropriately called “Volcanic Lightning.” This natural phenomenon is the result of charge-separation as a large volume of positively charged particles from the eruption make their way to the sky where opposite but separated electrical charges happen. This is a very dangerous thunderstorm which could last for a few minutes to as long as the volcano is actively spilling out lava.
8 – Lovely Light Pillars
Light pillars, like this lovely sight in a city in North America, is an atmospheric phenomena often observed in cities where there are numerous colorful light sources. Expect light pillars to appear where temperature is at least 20 below zero with no wind and if there are huge plate-shaped ice crystals in the atmosphere so that light will be reflected downwards. The night sky looks like a dreamy wonderland with the presence of these colorful pillars of light!
9 – What’s Turning Animals Into Stone in Stone Lake?
Lake Natron in Africa is so serene you can find living animals turned into stone! The lake has alkaline waters with a pH as high as 10.5; it is so caustic it can burn the skin and the eyes of living creatures that are not adapted to the lake conditions. The water is so alkaline due to sodium carbonate and other minerals that flow from the hills and empty into the lake. Thus animals that are unlucky enough to take a dip in the water of Lake Natron become preserved in stone figures such as this unfortunate flamingo.
10 – Bioluminescent Waves
Would you dare take a dip in the glowing waves in the Maldives? This is not a scene from Avatar but rather it is caused by bioluminescent waves. Minute marine microbes called phytoplankton emit a brilliant blue glow and their collective lights make the beaches of the Maldives look like stars that have fallen from heaven! A truly spectacular sight!
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