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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
A Pileus Iridescent Cloud Over Ethiopia
Explanation: Yes, but how many dark clouds have a multicolored lining? Pictured, behind this darker cloud, is a pileus iridescent cloud , a group of water droplets that have a uniformly similar size and so together diffract different colors of sunlight by different amounts. The above image was taken just after the picturesque sight was noticed by chance by a photographer in Ethiopia . A more detailed picture of the same cloud shows not only many colors , but unusual dark and wavy bands whose origins are thought related to wave disturbances in the cloud.
| Date | August 24, 2011 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Image Credit & Copyright: Esther Havens ( Light the World ) |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |