Flying Saucer???

10 May 2006,

Time: 6.45 Morning
Place: Taormina, Sicily, about 30 kilometers north-east of Mount Etna

The usual morning turned unusual on this very day. The reason was the shape of the cloud(See image). Someone pronounced it as a flying saucer, and the whole drama started.

The fact about such clouds is that they are called lenticulars, which are caused by waves in the air downwind of mountain ranges. Lenticulars do not drift, but form continuously as moist rising air from the upwind side of the mountain condenses. As the air descends on the downwind side it warms and the cloud evaporates. Any observed movement of the cloud is in fact caused by a change in wavelength. Lenticulars are often best seen in the early morning before thermals that form during the day disrupt the wave system.

Hope to see one live some day.