Thank you!

We have emailed you a PDF version of the article you requested.

Can't find the email?

Please check your spam or junk folder

IFLScience Home
IFLScience logo

Bizarre Cloud Formation Spotted In Australian Skies

Complete the form below to listen to the audio version of this article

You can unsubscribe at any time. View ourprivacy policy and terms below.

IFLScience needs the contact information you provide to us to contact you about our products and services. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time.

For information on how to unsubscribe, as well as our privacy practices and commitment to protecting your privacy, check out ourPrivacy Policy

Ad

nature-iconNature
clock-iconPUBLISHEDNovember 4, 2014

Bizarre Cloud Formation Spotted In Australian Skies

guest author image

Justine Alford

Guest Author

article image
Peter Fell, via ABC

Fluffy, streaky, wispy, marshmallow-like clouds can be a pretty spectacular sight sometimes, but this particular formation really takes the biscuit.

The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

It may look too perfect to be real, but these images aren’t fakes. They were snapped around 1:00pm on Monday, November 3 in Victoria, Australia, by ABC News audience members. The photos show a rare cloud formation called a fallstreak hole, or a hole punch cloud.

These are large gaps that can appear in certain types of cumulus clouds when water droplets rapidly freeze. The resulting ice crystals then continue to grow and when they become large enough, they start to fall, leaving behind an expanding hole. The pretty rainbow in the middle is the result of the ice crystals refracting the light.

Check out some more stunning photos here:

David Barton

Lori Leskie

James Colmer, personal communication

[Via ABC, io9, NOAA]
clock-icon
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHEDNovember 4, 2014

Written by Elise Andrew

Add us as a Google preferred source to see more of our
trusted coverage in Search


nature-icon

More Nature Stories

link to article

Biggest, Deepest Whale Graveyard Ever Found Contains Nearly 500 Whales, With Some As Old As 5 Million YearsRecovery of whale fossil bones using the robotic arm of the Chinese submersible Fendouzhe on the deep seafloor of the Diamantina Zone.
nature-iconanimals

Biggest, Deepest Whale Graveyard Ever Found Contains Nearly 500 Whales, With Some As Old As 5 Million Years

clock-icon16 hours ago
comments icon1

link to article

The World's Most Southern Active Volcano Spews Out Thousands Of Dollars Worth Of Gold Dust Each DayThe photo shows Mount Erebus in the distance. The volcano is covered in snow and there's a white landscape between it and the viewer, making it difficult to determine distance. The foreground shows a snowless rocky spot right where the camera has been set up.
nature-iconplanet earth

The World's Most Southern Active Volcano Spews Out Thousands Of Dollars Worth Of Gold Dust Each Day

clock-icon16 hours ago

link to article

DNA From Dead-Rat Popsicles Frozen For Over A Year Successfully Creates Living Chimeras. Could We Do The Same With Mammoths?mice chimeras show mostly white fur with dark bits influenced by the rat dna
nature-iconanimals

DNA From Dead-Rat Popsicles Frozen For Over A Year Successfully Creates Living Chimeras. Could We Do The Same With Mammoths?

clock-icon18 hours ago
comments icon1