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An Iridescent Pileus Cloud over China

An Iridescent Pileus Cloud over China

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 .

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Media Credits & Attribution

Image Credit & Copyright: Jiaqi Sun (孙嘉琪)