'Extremely rare' weather phenomenon spotted shining in Norfolk's skies

Ollie Radcliffe
·1-min read
Extremely rare glistening clouds have been spotted above Norfolk <i>(Image: Adam Forster)</i>
Extremely rare glistening clouds have been spotted above Norfolk (Image: Adam Forster)

A rare weather phenomenon was spotted glistening in the Norfolk skies this weekend.

Categorised as "extremely rare" by the Met Office, noctilucent clouds are bluish and silvery clouds made up of ice crystals.

The bright blue shimmer was captured over Attleborough, Norwich and Spixworth at around 10.30pm on Friday.

READ MORE: National Trust sites in Norfolk to host Summer of Play

The clouds captured over Attleborough (Image: Chloe Chadwick) Seen typically on summer nights, the clouds are collections of ice crystals at a height of around 200,000 feet which reflect sunlight.

Noctilucent means "night shining" and are faint to see during daylight, only becoming visible when the viewer is in the Earth's shadow on the ground but the clouds are still in sunlight.

Noctilucent clouds have been spotted across the UK in recent evenings, including in Bristol, Lincolnshire and Sussex.

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