A weird formation in the sky that has been compared to a UFO was spotted in Turkey, leaving onlookers and the internet in shock. Watch the dramatic footage below:
You'd be forgiven for thinking it's the UFO from Jordan Peele's film Nope, it's actually an unusual cloud.
Known a Lenticular cloud, the wave-like pattern makes it look like something from outer space.
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The footage was captured by Hafize Aktas in the city of Bursa in Turkey on Thursday (19 January).
The cloud has an almost circular shape and appeared at sunrise, giving it an eerie reddish-orange appearance.
It remained intact for about an hour and had a large hole in the middle.
These strange and unusual looking clouds form when the air is stable and winds blow across hills and mountains from the same or similar direction through the lowest region of the earth’s atmosphere known as the troposphere.
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They can result in strong winds on the ground in one place and pilots tend to avoid flying near lenticular clouds because of the turbulence that usually comes with their appearance.
Deborah Byrd of earth sky.org said: "These lens-shaped clouds typically form where stable moist air flows over a mountain or a range of mountains.
"When this happens, a series of large-scale standing waves may form on the mountain’s downwind side. If the temperature at the crest of the wave drops to the dew point, moisture in the air may condense to form lenticular clouds."
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There are three main categories of lenticular clouds: altocumulus standing lenticular (ACSL), stratocumulus standing lenticular (SCSL), and cirrocumulus standing lenticular (CCSL).
Lenticular clouds sometimes resemble the shape of flying saucers and they are believed to be the most common explanation for UFO sightings across the world.
The Met Office says that lenticular clouds are ‘unusual in the British Isles’ but they do sometimes occur.
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In March 2022 for instance, slightly less impressive but still incredible lenticular clouds were spotted in Cumbria.
The following month, lenticular clouds were pictured forming in the skies of Gwynedd, North Wales.
A video went viral after a person spotted a UFO - later confirmed to be a lenticular cloud - floating in the sky in the US.
TikToker @neshahiggins posted a clip of what really does look like a flying saucer in the sky among the clouds, and the video went viral.
"What the f**k is that?" the TikToker asked.
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Viewers were also freaking out in the comments, with one person writing: "Y’all can say it’s not real or not, clouds etc but when those ufo really start showing it’s finally over (crying face emoji) they coming closer and closer."
Topics: Weather, Environment
Gregory Robinson