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Where is it?Otago region , New Zealand [ -45.39649095 , 170.20379599 ]
What ’s in the photo?An elongated lenticular cloud known as the " Taieri Pet "
The Taieri Pet is an altocumulus standing lenticular cloud (ASLC) that forms above New Zealand’s Otago region when water vapor condenses out of air as it’s forced over the adjacent Rock and Pillar Range.
Which planet took the photo?Landsat 8
When was it taken?Sept . 7 , 2024
A peculiar " favorite swarm " took halfway level in a recent satellite photo of New Zealand . The freaky formation often appears in the same spot thanks to a nearby raft chain of mountains — and is sometimes obscure with a UFO .
The Taieri Pet often has vertical layers that pile up over several hundred feet. This 1951 photograph, taken from the ground, shows the iconic cloud in all its glory.
The wispy oblong , known by local as the " Taieri Pet , " is an elongated altocumulus stand lenticular swarm ( ASLC ) that frequently appear between the towns Middlemarch and Hyde in the Otago part of New Zealand ’s South Island . Although they can vary somewhat in size of it , the cloud always attend very like and appear in almost the same spot . The example in this image is around 7 miles ( 11.5 kilometers ) long .
ASLCs form when wave of air pass over a topographic barrier , like a mountain range of a function , forcing body of water vapour to condense into vertical layers , concord to theNational Weather Service . The Taieri Pet forms when moist melodic phrase passes over the mountainous Rock and Pillar Range ( located parallel to the left wing of the swarm in the photo ) and is held in place and further influence by vertical air current blow from the north , according toNASA ’s Earth Observatory .
" As the cloud forms on the crest of this wave , it rest almost stationary in the sky and is forge by the strong malarky burn out through it , " John Law , a meteorologist with New Zealand ’s MetService , distinguish Earth Observatory .
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lentiform cloud areoften mold like flight saucersand are " conceive to be one of the most common explanations for UFO sightings across the world , " according to theU.K. Met Office .
When view side - on , the Taieri Pet often has multiple well - define layers on top of one another , like a " immense stack of flannel-cake " or a " pile of plates , " Earth Observatory representatives wrote . Pastphotos of the cloudshow it can be several hundred feet improbable .
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The height of lenticular clouds can make them a surprising aviation risk . Planes can experience stark turbulency when flying through the structures , due to perpendicular current that run up and down through the swarm . The clouds ' remarkably down in the mouth temperature also make ice to forge on airplane , according to the U.K. Met Office .
ASLCs can be a polarity that atmospherical conditions are about to vary and are often followed by increased levels of precipitation , accord toFox conditions . However , historic weather condition datasuggest this did not happen in this case .
