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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.

The featured image shows a dark cloud topped with a bright multicolored cloud. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

An Iridescent Pileus Cloud over China

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 featured image was taken last month in Pu ' er , Yunnan Province , China . Also captured were unusual cloud ripples above the pileus cloud . The formation of a rare pileus cloud capping a common cumulus cloud is an indication that the lower cloud is expanding upward and might well develop into a storm .

Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator

Date September 6, 2022
Credit Image Credit & Copyright: Jiaqi Sun (孙嘉琪)
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.