Sussex resident spots rare clouds over skies at night

Argus camera club snapper Amanda Glinsman spotted the phenomenon, known as noctilucent clouds, over Shoreham last night. 

She said it was a “strip of green light” which “looked like the Northern Lights”. 

According to the Met Office, noctilucent clouds are “extremely rare” and are seen at twilight, typically on clear summer nights. 

Amanda captured the phenomenon on her phone camera (Image: Amanda Glinsman)

They are collections of ice crystals at a height of around 200,000 feet. Because they are so high, they still reflect sunlight after the sun has set below the horizon. 

READ MORE: Beauty spots gridlocked as thousands headed to see Northern Lights

Noctilucent means “night shining”. 

They are too faint to be seen in daylight and become visible only when the observer and the lower layers of the atmosphere are in Earth’s shadow but while these very high clouds are still in sunlight.

Noctilucent clouds have been spotted across the UK in recent evenings, including in Bristol and Lincolnshire.