14/10/2025
The most beautiful clouds I've ever seen☁️💫
These are extremely rare cirrus clouds. 🌤️
What you’re seeing are cirrus clouds — thin, wispy formations that drift high above the Earth, usually 20,000 to 40,000 feet (6–12 km) up, where the air is freezing and made of tiny ice crystals instead of water droplets. Their graceful, streaky look has earned them the nickname “mare’s tails.”
The reason they appear so delicate and fan-like? Powerful winds at high altitudes stretch and spread the ice crystals into long, airy trails, painting the sky in sweeping strokes. These winds sculpt the clouds into shapes that can resemble wings, feathers, or flames — each one fleeting and unique.
Cirrus clouds put on their most spectacular show at sunrise or sunset. As the sun sinks low on the horizon, its light travels through more of the atmosphere. The shorter blue and green wavelengths scatter away, leaving behind the longer red, orange, and pink tones that ignite the clouds with fiery brilliance.
Their icy composition makes them even more stunning — those high-altitude crystals refract and reflect sunlight, creating that shimmering, glowing edge that looks almost ethereal. Meanwhile, as the lower sky darkens, the high cirrus clouds remain illuminated, glowing against the deepening twilight.
So the next time you see those golden or crimson streaks high above, remember: you’re witnessing light, ice, and wind collaborating on a masterpiece. Every cirrus cloud at sunset is a work of art painted by the atmosphere itself. 🎨🌅