View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Sheryl R. Garrison in Southern Alberta, Canada, took this image of lenticular clouds on November 12, 2022. Sheryl wrote: “It looked like a space invasion as we headed toward the mountains on the weekend. I couldn’t help but think of the headline … Breaking News: Rocky Mountains Invaded by Lenticular Clouds.” Thank you, Sheryl!
Lenticular clouds are lens-shaped or saucer-shaped clouds. Generally, they typically form where stable moist air flows over mountains. When this happens, a series of large-scale standing waves may form on the mountain’s downwind side. Then, if the temperature at the crest of the wave drops to the dew point, moisture in the air may condense to form lenticular clouds. As a result, as the moist air moves back down into the trough of the wave, the cloud may evaporate back into vapor. So, lenticular clouds can appear and disappear relatively quickly.
Conversely, people who live in low-lying or flat terrain are unfamiliar with lenticular clouds. And, just to confound things, lenticular clouds occasionally also form in non-mountainous places as the result of shear winds created by a weather front. Therefore, people often mistake lenticular clouds for UFOs.
Enjoy these photos of beautiful lenticular clouds from EarthSky community members around the world. And, you can share your own lenticular cloud photos with us at EarthSky Community Photos.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tirza Grant took this image of lenticular clouds on December 27, 2022, from Rancho Mirage, California. Thank you, Tirza!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Meiying Lee shared this photo from Syue Mountain, Taichung, Taiwan. Meiying wrote: “At 7:42 in the morning of August 23, 2022, after climbing in the dark for nearly 4 hours, I finally reached the main peak of Syue Mountain. It is the 2nd highest mountain in Taiwan with an altitude of 3,886 meters. The weather was clear and I was very lucky to meet a beautiful, clean lenticular cloud in the blue sky and mountains. It looked like a hat, and very much like a UFO.” Thank you, Meiying!
Photos of lenticular clouds in 2021
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Terri Jonas in a plane over Mount Rainier captured this photo of lenticular clouds on September 14, 2021. Terri wrote: “I go between Sacramento and Seattle a couple times a week by airline and always look out to see the Cascade volcanoes along the way. I loved seeing the lenticular clouds on this day. It looked super interesting to me! I love clouds as much as volcanoes and mountains!” We do, too! Thank you, Terri!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jill Phipps in Tucson, Arizona, captured this image on January 18, 2021. She said: “These clouds caught my eye as I was driving home last night. I had never seen anything like them. To me they looked like flying saucers, or stacks of pancakes.” Thanks for sharing your image with us, Jill!
Photos from before 2021
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Doug Blaney of Weed, California, captured this image on February 12, 2020. It’s one of many lenticular clouds seen in this area. Weed is about 10 miles (16 km) west-northwest of Mount Shasta, which is one of California’s most famous landmarks. Read about the lenticular clouds near Weed, California, in the Washington Post. Thanks, Doug!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | David Roberts caught this photo of lenticular clouds over Mt. Rainier, Washington, on June 6, 2017. Thank you, David!View larger at EarthSky Community Photos. | Richard Doyle captured this lenticular cloud at Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Canada, on April 11, 2014. Thank you, Richard!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Richard Hasbrouck caught this photo in Truchas, New Mexico, on January 11, 2014. Thanks, Richard!View larger. | Lenticular clouds over Sangre de Cristo mountains, New Mexico, by EarthSky Facebook friend Geraint Smith. See another photo of lenticular clouds by Geraint Smith in EarthSky Community Photos.
Bottom line: Lenticular clouds look like UFOs. See photos of lenticular clouds in various parts of the world, from the EarthSky community.
Our Editor-in-Chief Deborah Byrd works to keep all the astronomy balls in the air between EarthSky's website, YouTube page and social media platforms. She's the primary editor of our popular daily newsletter and a frequent host of EarthSky livestreams. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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