But I wish it were. It looks almost like this, doesn’t it?
Night-shining clouds as seen from the International Space Station. Photo credit: Don Pettit and NASA TV
They hover on the edge of space. Thin, wispy clouds, glowing electric blue. Some scientists think they’re seeded by space dust. Others suspect they’re a telltale sign of global warming.
They’re called noctilucent or “night-shining” clouds (NLCs for short). And whatever causes them, they’re lovely.
“Over the past few weeks we’ve been enjoying outstanding views of these clouds above the southern hemisphere,” said space station astronaut Don Pettit during a NASA TV broadcast last month. “We routinely see them when we’re flying over Australia and the tip of South America.
Don Pettit writes poetry about auroras. I may have a tiny little geek-girl crush on him. Maybe.
Don Pettit, in space
Exiled Stardust 