Rare ‘night-shining’ clouds have not arrived on schedule — and a brewing storm of solar activity could be to blame

A uncommon kind of iridescent, shining cloud that was forecast to change into way more frequent and visual this summer time has, to this point, did not reside as much as the hype — and the more and more risky solar could also be responsible.

Noctilucent clouds (NLCs), or night-shining clouds, are a kind of mesospheric cloud. Because the title suggests, mesospheric clouds type within the mesosphere, the third layer of Earth’s ambiance, which stretches between 31 and 50 miles (50 and 80 kilometers) above Earth’s floor. NLCs are created when atmospheric water vapor freezes into ice crystals that stick with particles of atmospheric mud left behind by meteor showers and volcanic eruptions.