THE SKIES turned blue, purple, green and yellow on Monday (February 1) as a very rare phenomenon made a fleeting visit.
Nacreous clouds – otherwise known as mother-of-pearl-clouds – were photographed by Observer readers Raymond Borkowski and Lee Seager and editor Chris Willmott as they lit up the winter skies.
The Northern Lights-like clouds normally occur in the stratosphere over the Poles during the Polar winter, when temperatures are extremely cold (-78 degrees celsius or below).
The magical light show lasted about 30 minutes.
“At first glance they were very much like looking at the Northern Lights, but whatever they were, they were amazing to see,” said one onlooker.
