Astrophotographer Yuri Beletsky published a photo taken at night in the Atacama Desert in Chile. It shows an object that at first glance looks very much like a flying saucer. But in fact, it is a lenticular cloud.
The Atacama Desert is considered one of the best places on Earth for astronomical observations. This is due to a combination of high altitude, extremely arid climate, and remoteness from civilization with its inevitable light pollution. It is not surprising that Atacama has been chosen as the location for the largest telescopes in history, as well as by astrophotographers.
However, despite the climate, clouds sometimes form in Atacama, as confirmed by the published photo. You can see a lenticular (lens-shaped) cloud in it. This is a pretty rare natural phenomenon. As a rule, such clouds form on the leeward side of mountain ranges, behind ridges and individual peaks.
Lenticular clouds form when two factors are present: strong horizontal air currents that create waves over mountain obstacles, and high moisture content. These clouds undergo a continuous process of water vapor condensation when the dew point is reached and evaporation when the air descends. As a result, lenticular clouds do not move, even in strong winds, but hang as if “glued” above the same point. Combined with their characteristic smooth, saucer-like shape, it is not surprising that they are often mistaken for UFOs. Although in reality they have nothing to do with the aliens.
In addition to the cloud, numerous stars are also captured in the photo. The Orion constellation is also visible on the right side of the image, and the Andromeda Nebula is on the left.
