This alarming sprialing light was photographed over Norway on December 9, 2009. Source: http://www.vg.no/

Upon first glance, many would think the image is simply a creation of an eager photoshop student, but the reports have been validated by hundreds of people who saw the same object.  Video clips have emerged to further substantiate the still images.

This alarming sprialing light was photographed over Norway on December 9, 2009.

It is believed that the spiral was caused by a malfunctioning Russian rocket that was launched from a submarine.  Military experts state that the spiraling nature of the light is characteristic of a rocket-propelled object that is not functioning as planned.

This image shows the aftermath of the strange spiralling light that was spotted over Norway on December 9, 2009. The wispy white trail supports the theory that the light was caused by a malfunctioning rocket.

SpaceWeather.com reports that a “no-fly” order was issued for the area on December 9th which would correspond to the period in which the Russian military may have been testing an inter-continental ballistic missile.

File image of a land-based mobile Russian inter-continental balistic missile (ICBM).

This explanation has not been confirmed by the Russian government, although it seems the most plausible given the images and video clips that have emerged.  Regardless of the cause, one thing is certain:  it caused quite an alarm not only for Norwegian residents, but people around the world.

Update [12/10/09:  08:15]:

The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed the Russian Navy launched a Bulava ballistic missile on December 9, but will not officially confirm the missile as the cause of the spiral lights seen over Norway.

File: The Russian submarine Dmitry Donskoi launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on the morning of December 9, 2009.

The Russian Navy confirmed the missile was fired from the “Dmitry Donskoi” nuclear submarine (shown above), but would not confirm the submarine’s location at the time of launch.

Cloud Streets photographed over the Gulf of Mexico on October 18, 2009. This display is a prominent example of organized rows of cumulus clouds known as "cloud streets." Image Source: NASA MODIS

Causes:

The best setup for cloud streets is when the lowest levels of the atmosphere – the layer closest to the ground – is unstable.  A layer of air is unstable when the lowest levels of it are warmer than the air immediately above.  This difference in temperature causes the lowest levels to want to rise.  Think of the steam that rises out of a pot of boiling water.  When this warmer air rises, it cools and the moisture within it condenses into cloud droplets.  This is the same process that forms all clouds.

This image of cloud streets is a particularly poignant example of how well-defined the boundary can be between the rising motions (forming the clouds) and the sinking motion (clear air). This image shows cloud streets as viewed from a plane flying just above the unstable air and within the inversion layer.

The difference that enables cloud streets to form is that this unstable layer is covered by a stable layer of air, sometimes called an inversion.  This stable air is essentially a layer that is slightly warmer than the air at the surface and as such, does not allow the unstable surface air to rise through it.  This is like having a lid on the pan of boiling water.  As such, the rising motion generated by the lower unstable layer is capped and is prevented from rising higher.  The rising air then spreads out horizontally and cools.  As it cools and becomes cooler than the environment, that air then begins to sink.  This sinking air is what causes the clear air rows between the clouds.

The formation of cloud streets begins with a low-level unstable layer of air (shown by red) that rises, cools, and condenses to form clouds. This air then cools and descends (blue), generating the alternating rows of clear air.

This cycle of rising and sinking air creates a small “rotor” whereby some air rises and condenses into rows of clouds and other air sinks, generating the alternating rows of clear air. The wind at the surface generally flows parallel to the ’streets’, as shown by the yellow arrow above.

Locations:

One of the most frequent locations where cloud streets are seen is over open water.  Particularly when cold air invades land, such as over continental land masses in the fall months, this cooler air flows off the coast and over much warmer ocean waters.

Cloud Streets form over the Bering Sea as cold air flows from over the snow-covered continental surface (white land mass) and over open ocean waters. The open ocean waters warm the air from beneath, causing rising motion that cools the air, condenses the water droplets, and forms clouds. Image Source: NASA MODIS.

When the cool air flows over the warm ocean waters, the air is warmed from beneath, causing it to rise.  As the air rises, it runs into the inversion layer – the cap – and is forced back down.  This cyclical motion causes the rows to form as evidenced by several images of cloud streets forming over the Gulf of Mexico or the open ocean south of Alaska during the fall months.

Cloud streets off the coast of Alaska. As this image displays, cloud streets often form when cold air flows off of a land mass and over warmer ocean waters. In this image, the wind flow from north to south causes cold air over land to flow over warm ocean waters, generating lift. Image Source: NASA MODIS

Significance:

Cloud streets can be significant not just for their majestic beauty as viewed from either the surface of the earth or from hundreds of miles above the surface via satellites or other spacecraft.

Cloud streets can also provide a very visual depiction of locations of rising air versus sinking air.  This visual cue can be useful for airline pilots who need to be aware of the rising/sinking motions within unstable air masses.  Additionally, recreational pilots can use the visual cues generated by cloud streets to maintain lift for many miles.  When glider pilots can see where the rising motion is located, they can often ride these streams of thermal currents for miles, all the while continuing to rise.

A "hole punch cloud" as seen over Moscow last week. Such clouds are rare and awe-inspiring as their cause is still somewhat mysterious.

Hole punch clouds are often attention-grabbers, as they are relatively rare.  When they do form, they tend to persist and are large enough to be seen for miles around.

The foundation of a hole punch cloud is traditionally a mid- or high-altitude cloud type such as cirrus or cirro-stratus.  Such clouds generally form above 20,000 feet or so in the atmosphere.  The National Weather Service has explained that such clouds are frequently composed of both ice crystals and super-cooled water droplets – water that is below the freezing temperature but still exists in liquid form.  When such a delicate balance occurs, only a slight disruption of this delicate balance may lead to a striking result.

This hole punch cloud is a particularly vibrant example of both the foundational cloud form and the evaporation of the water droplets in the surrounding environment. Some hold punch clouds are even referred to as "crop circles in the sky."

A hole punch cloud photographed over Alabama in 2003. Photo Source: Gary Beeler, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, National Weather Service Mobile, Alabama.

Frequently, the ice crystals may slowly grow and expand at the expense of the liquid droplets.  But when the balance is disrupted, the droplets may freeze instantly and thus permit the liquid droplets in the environment to evaporate, resulting in a “hole” in the cloud.

Another hole punch cloud, this one photographed over Colorado in 2007. Photo source: Colorado Uerlings: http://www.neatorama.com

It is believed that a cloud may be disrupted in this manner when a a jet flies through the thin cloud layer.  Such a disruption may spur the quick freezing of liquid droplets and evaporation of other droplets.  This would create the void in the space in which the jet passed through the layer.

While the source of hole punch clouds may be somewhat uncertain, they are certain to cause quite a vigorous discussion.

UPDATE (10/19/09):  The cause of the Moscow hole punch cloud may have been discovered:  cloud seeding.  See Moscow Testing Cloud Seeding; Promises Winter Without Snow.

Turbulent motions between differing air masses create undulating clouds as seen over rural Kansas in the early morning hours of April 28, 2006. Meteorologists are proposing these clouds be designated as the first new cloud type to be named in over 50 years: Undulus Asperatus.

The Cloud Appreciation Society has designated the clouds as “Undulus Asperatus” or alternatively, “Undulatus Asperatus.”  The Latin term translates loosely as “turbulent undulation.”  Such clouds are relatively rare, but have been photographed in several areas around the world.

Turbulent motions between differing air masses create undulating clouds as seen over rural Kansas in the early morning hours of April 28, 2006. Meteorologists are proposing these clouds be designated as the first new cloud type to be named in over 50 years: Undulus Asperatus.

The ominous-looking clouds have been particularly common in the Plains states of the United States, often during the morning or midday hours following convective thunderstorm activity.  These clouds are not considered a precursor to severe weather, rather appear to form following rain or thunderstorm activity.

Jane Wiggins of Cedar Rapids, Iowa recently captured several spectacular images of the new cloud type as viewed from a downtown office building.  Several of her images have recently been published by National Geographic Magazine – an honor which Wiggins does not take lightly.

This turbulently undulating cloud photographed over Cedar Rapids Iowa may soon be designated as the first new cloud type named in over 50 years: Undulus Asperatus. Source: Jane Wiggins

This turbulently undulating cloud photographed over Cedar Rapids Iowa may soon be designated as the first new cloud type named in over 50 years: Undulus Asperatus. Source: Jane Wiggins

“It is a bit like looking at the surface of a choppy sea from below,” said Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society, who first identified the asperatus cloud from photographs that were being sent in by members of the society.

“We try to identify and classify all of the images of clouds we get in, but there were some that just didn’t seem to fit in any of the other categories, so I began to think it might be a unique type of cloud.

This turbulently undulating cloud photographed over Cedar Rapids Iowa may soon be designated as the first new cloud type named in over 50 years: Undulus Asperatus. Source: Jane Wiggins

“The underside of the clouds are quite rough and choppy. It looks very stormy, but some of the reports we have been getting suggest that they tend to break up without actually turning into a storm.”

The Royal Meteorological Society is now gathering detailed weather data for the days and locations where the asperatus clouds have been seen in an attempt to understand exactly what is causing them.