The Northern skies have suddenly shimmered in electric blue.
(Photo : ESA/NASA) On May 29, 2016, European Space Agency flight engineer Tim Peake captured unusual, high-altitude noctilucent clouds from the International Space Station.
It’s that time of the year again for skywatchers in Canada to revel in the magnificent skyscapes of the polar mesospheric clouds. However, they are more popularly known as noctilucent clouds (NLC).
According to a story by CBC News, these majestic clouds can be seen in the northern sky every year from about the first of June to the end of August.
In contrast to more popular clouds, these are special as they appear brilliant, iridescent, and shining whenever darkness falls in the skies, or the sun disappears from view.
What are Noctilucent Clouds?
Noctilucent clouds also shimmer when the stars start to appear and can be viewed before the sunlight slips at dawn.
According to MET Office, noctilucent clouds are incredibly rare to be visible since they are very high in the sky.
These iridescent clouds usually appear on summer nights, and they glow in blue or silver, usually at the same time as the brightest stars of the night sky.
MET further noted that these clouds are only observed in latitudes between 45°N and 80°N in the Northern Hemisphere and equivalent latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere.
They are strikingly higher than any other clouds, inhabiting the layer of atmosphere known as the Mesosphere. Due to the lack of land and population in the southern hemisphere, they are less frequently observed there.
The Antarctic and the southernmost points of Chile and Argentina are the only places with the proper latitude.
MET said that the Mesosphere could readily reach low temperatures, although it is deficient in water vapor and dust. Although volcanic ash or man-made pollutants may also contribute to dust, it’s possible that the dust originated from tiny meteorites from space.
According to CBC, these clouds were first spotted in 1885, two years when the Krakatoa volcano erupted. Although it was initially thought that they would vanish owing to the eruption, they have subsequently been sighted.
Where to Spot Them?
Northern Canada is a great place to observe NLCs because, in the past, they were usually seen at high northern latitudes. But in the past few years, they have been seen much further south in the United States, in places like Utah and Nebraska.
CBC noted that some people think climate change’s effects are also responsible for their growth and appearance at undiscovered latitudes.
For instance, they were spotted as far south as Joshua Tree, California, in 2019. CBC said that increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere generate more water vapor, making it possible for these clouds to appear in the skies.
How to Take a Photo of NLC?
According to BBC’s Sky at Night Magazine, taking photos of clouds such as NLC can be easily taken using our smartphones since they have advanced so much throughout the years.
Here are easy steps you can follow to capture that stunning NLC image!
1. Turn On Your Night Camera Mode
Most phones have a “night camera mode” to help capture images in the dark with better quality. However, if your phone doesn’t have this mode, you can opt for a “Pro” or “Manual” mode or download a third-party application. Bear in mind that it is essential to adjust the ISO and exposure length of your phone that would perfectly capture the crystallized clouds.
2. Focus On the Bright Part
Locate the brightest area and try to capture it first if an NLC emerges in the sky. Adjust the camera’s settings to get a shot that exhibits detail but isn’t overly noisy. According to BBC, lowering the ISO while raising the exposure is recommended.
3. Mix it Up!
Once you find an NLC, consider how to make the shot more appealing. If there’s a lake or any body of water nearby, try taking reflection pictures of the sky. The skies are your limit! Just follow these simple camera settings to capture these gorgeous clouds better!
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
