Better Than The Northern Lights? Check Out The Brilliant Beauty Of Cloud Iridescence

Sometimes the most beautiful artwork isn’t in a museum or hanging on a wall. In fact, the prettiest sights often occur right in front of us in nature. If we take the time to look up at the sky, there are some incredible sites. Kristin Jensen Huset, who posts on Instagram as @travelwith_kristin, captured an insanely beautiful shot of cloud iridescence over Norway. Kristen and Norway Travelers shared the shot, and it positively looks like a painting.

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As the post explains in the caption, “Cloud iridescence is a rare and mesmerizing optical phenomenon where clouds display a spectrum of colors, similar to a rainbow. This occurs when sunlight or moonlight interacts with water droplets or ice crystals of nearly uniform size, causing diffraction and interference of light.”

Kristin’s photo resembles a Lisa Frank folder from the 1980s. The colors are mesmerizing and beautiful, and we’re sure every kid would love to have a folder with this print in their backpack. But it’s not just kids who love it, adults also love it.

Many went to Kristin’s Instagram page to share their amazement.

Those in Norway see this type of thing all the time. A person wrote, “Wdym rare? We see it every day.”

Another follower clapped back, “When you see something SPECTACULAR and the locals be like, Meh, we see it every day.”

This person agreed that cloud iridescence is rare, but they’ve been lucky enough to see them several times.

“Polar stratospheric clouds are incredibly rare, forming only when the stratosphere is bitterly cold (below -78°C) and conditions align perfectly with moisture and air currents. But I saw many times here,” their comment reads.

Another had a more scientific explanation, “Looks like a cloud full of hydrocarbons.”

We agree with the caption, “Tag a friend who needs to see this magical view!” It’s truly stunning.

This story’s featured image is By Fevziie via Shutterstock.