A little-known fact about the natural history of Poland: Many of the country's young storks are born under ripples of electric blue. "Here in Poland, the summer season for noctilucent clouds (NLCs) coincides with the nesting season for storks," explains photographer Marek Nikodem who caught the silhouette of a mother overlooking her chicks on July 18th:
"Thousands of storks arrive in Poland each year just in time for NLCs," says Nikodem. "I've been documenting the coincidence for years."
NLCs are Earth's highest clouds. They form at the edge of space more than 80 km above Earth's surface, when wisps of summertime water vapor wrap themselves around meteor smoke. The resulting ice crystals glow electric blue in the night sky.
In the 19th century, you had to travel near Arctic latitudes to see these clouds. In recent years, however, they have been sighted as far south as Colorado and Kansas--a possible result of climate change.
Observing tips: Look west 30 to 60 minutes after sunset when the sun has dipped ~10 degrees below the horizon. If you see luminous blue-white tendrils spreading across the sky, you may have spotted a noctilucent cloud.
Observing tips: Look west 30 to 60 minutes after sunset when the sun has dipped ~10 degrees below the horizon. If you see luminous blue-white tendrils spreading across the sky, you may have spotted a noctilucent cloud.
