Cubans capture strange optical effect on the sky of Artemisa

A rare atmospheric phenomenon known as "Iridescent Pileus" surprised the residents of Güira de Melena, in the Cuban province of Artemisa, on Friday.

This spectacular phenomenon occurred west of Güira de Melena, when a pileus cloud formed, the result of intense updrafts in a storm cloud that interacted with the more humid air at higher altitudes, explained meteorological observer Raydel Ruisanchez inFacebook.

It states that this more humid air cooled and reached its dew point, which resulted in the formation of moisture droplets or ice crystals in the cloud.

What makes iridescent Pileus so amazing is that these moisture droplets or ice crystals in the cloud act as natural prisms when passed through by the sun's rays.

This causes light diffraction, resulting in a beautiful display of colors in the sky, he clarified.

The sighting of this rare atmospheric phenomenon caused astonishment among local residents, who described it as spectacular.

The images posted by Ruisánchez showThe phenomenon, which combined colors such as yellow, green, pink and blue.

The iridescent Pileus is a rare phenomenon that reminds us of the beauty and complexity of natural phenomena that can occur in our environment thanks to the effect of light.

In January, another unique optical effect in the sky similar to a trail of fire generated astonishment among the residents of Matanzas.

"Gentleman, that looks like a meteorite entering the earth," photographer Leonel Rufín Alfonso said about it, who published the images in the Facebook group "City of Matanzas in Photos."

It was about onecondensation trail, ice clouds in the form of long lines, which sometimes arise when an airplane passes by condensation of water vapor contained in engine emissions.

The orange and reddish tone in this case is due to the lighting from the sun's rays.

Santiago de Cuba also experienced last yearanother spectacular effect known as “divided sky”, in which the sky was seen fragmented into two shades: blue on one side and pink on the other.

The effect is known as “split sky” and occurs when “a developing cloud comes between us and the sun,” causing a large vertical shadow. "The Sun must be very low on the horizon for it to happen," explained a meteorologist from that province.