A bright unusual natural phenomenon. The most unusual natural phenomena, with photos and descriptions

It's hard to believe, but there are natural phenomena that scientists still cannot explain. Such as balls of electricity appearing in the sky, or the random movement of rocks without the help of man or animal. Will we ever be able to find out the answers to these mysterious questions? May be! But now, these 25 unusual natural phenomena remain a mystery to science.

Solar corona

Millions of kilometers in space belong to the corona, which acts as an aura of plasma and surrounds the Sun. This is something that scientists cannot explain. And why the solar corona has a higher temperature than the visible surface of the Sun. While the average surface temperature of the Sun is about 5800 Kelvin, the corona reaches a burning temperature of one to three million Kelvin.

Animal migration

Animal migration occurs in virtually all large groups of animals, including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles and insects. Scientists are puzzled by the fact how these animals dare to make such amazing journeys without going astray? There have been many theories about this natural phenomenon, but the true cause remains unknown.

Sound anomalies or abnormal sound phenomena in nature

There are several locations known for humming, a phenomenon described as a persistent and invasive low-frequency hum, rumbling, noise, or buzzing sound from an unknown source. The one in Taos, New Mexico is probably the most famous. Even more mysterious is the fact that only 2% of Taos residents can hear it. Regardless of the origin of the strange sound, it is extremely disturbing to those who can hear it.

Jellyfish have disappeared from Jellyfish Lake

Located on the island of Eil Malk in Palau, Jellyfish Lake is a marine lake that connects to the ocean through a network of cracks and tunnels. Every day millions of jellyfish migrate through the lake, and between 1998 and 2000, all golden jellyfish disappeared from the lake. There are many theories regarding this phenomenon, but scientists are still not sure of the exact cause.

Ice circles

Also known as ice discs, ice rims are a very rare natural phenomenon that occurs in slow-moving waters at freezing temperatures. Scientists don't know exactly how ice circles form, but they are thought to form in eddy currents where sheets of thin ice rotate and gradually freeze together. The diameter of the circles can vary greatly from a few centimeters to 15 meters or more.

Big Foot

For decades, people have been observing the large, human-shaped, hairy creature known as the Yeti or Bigfoot. While the vast majority of scientists are skeptical of its existence, there are a few experts who believe that Bigfoot does exist. Supporters speculate that this could be a relict population of Gigantopithecus, a giant ape that lived 9 million years ago.

Hurricane on Saturn

In 2013, a huge hurricane was spotted on Saturn by NASA spacecraft orbiting the planet. The eye of the storm was about 2,000 kilometers in diameter and crossed the clouds at a speed of 530 km per hour. On Earth, hurricanes are fueled by warm oceans, but on Saturn there are no oceans that could create such a giant storm.

Monarch Butterfly Migration

We've already talked about the miraculous migrations of animals, but there is one animal whose annual migration is especially impressive. The monarch butterfly only lives for half a year, which means that the butterflies that return are the children of those who made the first migration. Having never migrated, how can they know where to go? Researchers have proposed many theories, and a team of researchers has identified the butterfly's antenna as a vital body part for successful migration. However, the accuracy of this theory remains to be determined.

Rain of animals

Several strange cases of animals falling from the sky have been recorded in history. For example, in the summer of 2000 in Ethiopia, it rained millions of fish, some of them dead and others still struggling to move. Most of these "animal" rains come from tornadoes or other types of violent storms that can lift and carry objects and water, but one striking fact is that the rains usually come from one type of animal. It could be a rain of only herring or a special type of frog.

Naga fireballs

Like ball lightning, Naga fireballs are an unusual natural phenomenon. They have been unconfirmedly seen on the Mekong River in Thailand and Laos, where glowing reddish orbs are supposedly rising from the water. There have been several attempts to scientifically explain Naga fireballs, but so far, there is no definitive explanation for this phenomenon.

Silence zone

Mapimi "Zone of Silence" refers to a desert patch in Durango, Mexico, and is an extremely quiet place where strange phenomena occur. In 1970, a test rocket launched from a US military base near Green River, Utah lost control and fell in this area. Parts of the booster used for the Apollo project also disintegrated and landed in the same area, as well as the world's largest carbonaceous chondrites. Or maybe this is a coincidence?

Flashes of light during an earthquake

For centuries, people have observed strange, mostly white or bluish flashes that precede major earthquakes. The lights typically lasted only a few seconds. The first photographs of this phenomenon were recorded after the 1960s. Since then, scientists have begun to take this phenomenon seriously and have created many theories about the origin of light flashes, involving piezoelectricity, frictional heating and electrokinetics.

Volcanic light

Scientists have discovered that similar volcanic light is observed before an earthquake and occurs in areas where a large volcanic eruption is about to occur. Recent research suggests that the light may be caused by elements that awaken the rocks' natural electrical charge, causing them to sparkle and glow.

Moon illusion

We have all noticed that when the Moon is on the horizon, it appears much larger than when it is high in the sky. But try a small experiment (for example, with a coin) at arm's length with one eye closed, place it next to a high moon, and then with a large Moon on the horizon, and you will see that the size of the moon relative to the coin will be the same in both cases .

Synchronized flashing of fireflies

Living in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, synchronous fireflies are the only fireflies in America that can synchronize their blinking. Fireflies glow synchronously for several weeks each year, but the reason for this behavior remains unknown.

Cat purring

Did you know that a cat's purr is one of the most mysterious sounds in the animal kingdom? Scientists study not only the origin of sound, but also its causes. Cats often purr when being petted or resting, but they also purr while eating and sometimes even while giving birth. Thus, the main reason why cats purr remains unknown.

Singing humpback whales

Male humpback whales can produce long and very complex "sounds" that were once thought to be necessary to attract females, but research has shown that the sound often attracts other males. In addition, individuals can recognize each other's songs and spread them to other populations. So the singing of humpback whales remains a mystery.

Emergence of the Universe

In the modern world, the Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model of the birth of the Universe. She states that about 14 billion years ago, all of space was contained in a single point from which the universe emerged. However, the theory does not provide any explanation for the initial conditions of the universe - it only describes and explains the overall evolution of the universe that began from that point on. But what existed before this? We do not know.

Bermuda Triangle

If there is a place known for the occurrence of mysterious phenomena and strange events that scientists cannot figure out, it is the Bermuda Triangle. In this region of the western North Atlantic, a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Scientists tend to attribute disappearances to several coincidences, such as terrible weather, ocean currents, human error, and even methane bubbles.

Loch Ness monster

The Loch Ness Monster is a mystery somewhat similar to Bigfoot. There have been many sightings of the creature, but most of them have been found to be false. However, there is some speculation that the Scottish loch may be home to a relict plesiosaur, an extinct marine reptile believed to have died around 66 million years ago. Plesiosaurs were once abundant in what is now Britain, but the likelihood of some surviving in secret is close to zero.

Witch circles

Found in the arid grasslands of western South Africa, witch circles are circular patches of barren land. Usually found with monospecific herbaceous vegetation, the circles vary in diameter from 2 to 15 m. The origin and history of fairy circles has long been a puzzle and even today, scientists do not know exactly how they appeared. One favorite assumption is that termites are responsible for the circles, but the area of ​​the phenomenon is much wider than that of termites.

Moving stones

Also known as sliding or crawling rocks, it refers to a fascinating geological phenomenon in which rocks move and create long paths along a smooth valley without human or animal intervention. There have even been cases where stones have flipped over, turning sides and changing direction. The origin of this phenomenon is uncertain, but scientists speculate that the movement may be caused by strong winds pushing the stone across a thin layer of clay.

Whales are broke

Every year, up to 2,000 whales wash up on beaches, and in most cases die. It is also known that they have been using this strange method of "suicide" for at least thousands of years. Numerous theories have been proposed as to why they do this, but none have been convincing enough to be true.

Ball lightning

Ball lightning is probably the best known unexplained electrical phenomenon. The term refers to glowing, spherical objects that range in diameter from a pea to several meters. Ball lightning is commonly associated with thunderstorms, but lasts significantly longer than regular lightning. The phenomenon has been the subject of research since English physician and explorer William Snow Harris introduced the concept into the scientific field in 1834, but even now there is no generally accepted explanation for ball lightning.

Lights of Hessdalen Valley

Since the 1940s or even earlier, a strange light has been recorded in the Hessdalen Valley, Norway. This natural phenomenon is white or yellow in color and has an unknown origin. Between 1981 and 1984, the lights were observed up to 20 times a week, but since then, activity has decreased and the lights are now observed about 10-20 times a year. Despite ongoing research and numerous working hypotheses, there is no convincing explanation for the origin of these lights.

Planet Earth is an amazing place filled with a lot of strange and interesting natural phenomena. Some of them are easy to explain from a scientific point of view, some are a real mystery of nature. Below are the most unusual natural phenomena that not only intrigue, but also fascinate.

The natural phenomenon, which has long been called “St. Elmo’s Fire,” was a real threat to sailors. It looked like small but quite bright balls of yellow-orange color. During bad weather, storms or storms, they appeared on the sharp ends of masts or spiers of lighthouses. They frightened and delighted at the same time, seemed interesting and alluring.

It was believed that these lights promised the lost ship hope for salvation, would bring good luck on long journeys and the protection of the gods.

Elmo lights were small point charges that concentrated on the edges of sharp objects. They did not burn and were absolutely safe. It is quite difficult to see these lights nowadays, because modern high-tech ships have smoother shapes.

Stones that can crawl

Once every few years in a national park in California, USA, you can watch a strange natural phenomenon - crawling stones. It is noteworthy that the movement of the boulders themselves has not yet been captured on film. The traces left on the surface of the dry lake Reistrak Playa clearly confirm this mysterious natural phenomenon.

There are a huge number of versions and guesses regarding its origin. According to one of the most interesting, boulders fall from nearby hills, the height of which reaches about 250 meters. The clayey soil of the lake slows down the inertial movement on a flat surface several times, but it still occurs. As a result, stone blocks leave behind smooth traces up to 3 cm deep and tens of meters long.

Green ray of the setting sun

Inexplicable natural phenomena include the stunningly beautiful spectacle of a green ray appearing at sunset. To see it, you must meet only 3 conditions: find an open horizon, a cloudless sky and clean air.

The strange optical effect lasts only a few seconds (less often, minutes) and is a greenish-emerald flash in the sky at the moment the sun disappears below the horizon.

Researcher William Cohn tried to explain the appearance of the green ray as follows. When oxygen atoms transition to a normal state from a metastable state, they emit radiation. It is expressed in a light wave, which tints the horizon green. This guess has not yet been confirmed from a scientific point of view.

Mystical mirages of the desert

Anomalous natural phenomena are not uncommon in the vast sandy areas. You can often observe the appearance of mirages in the desert. Strange and interesting, inexplicable and incomprehensible, they are illusions and images floating in the air.

There are many guesses and explanations for their occurrence:

• whim of the gods;
• tribute to the past;
• secrets of science.

According to ancient Egyptian beliefs, mirages are a reminder of the past, the appearance of objects, people, even cities that no longer exist. According to one of the legends of England, Fata Morgana was considered the ruler of mirages, who deceived sailors with ghostly visions.

From a scientific point of view, mirages are the consequences of thermal overheating of air, the creation of a so-called “air lens”. Quite interesting is the fact that the clearest mirages appear not in sandy deserts, but in icy ones. Thus, in Alaska, centuries-old cold intensifies light inhomogeneities and leads to the emergence of stunningly bright aerial illusions.

Electric lightning extravaganza Catatumbo

A real landmark of Venezuela is the Catatumbo River, or more precisely, the place where it flows into Lake Maracaibo. Here you can quite often observe a strange and fascinating natural phenomenon - a huge concentration of electrical charges in the atmosphere. Catatumbo lightning appears up to 150 times a year and continues to flash for up to 10 hours in a row. This phenomenon is not accompanied by any sound effects.

All this allowed the Venezuelan municipality of Catatumbo to proclaim its territory as the Capital of Lightning. This rather interesting phenomenon has been known since the times of ancient sailors: lightning discharges, which were visible 400 km away, served as a kind of beacon for them and were used for navigation.

Today, the phenomenon of multiplicity of Catatumbo lightning is explained quite simply. Several unique natural factors came together:

• The Andes block the wind's access to the lake;
• evaporated water forms massive clouds;
• Electrical discharges appear in the clouds.

As a result of all this, unusually beautiful and high lightning occurs, and a huge amount of ozone is released into the atmosphere.

Cellular clouds are harbingers of a storm

Another fascinating natural phenomenon is cellular clouds, also called biconvex clouds. They were discovered quite recently, no more than 40 years ago. Classified as cumulonimbus clouds. Their structure is quite interesting, reminiscent of a kind of convex honeycomb. The elements hanging down are painted dark gray. If the sun is low above the horizon, they can acquire pinkish, golden, or bluish hues.

They are found mainly in the United States; their appearance portends the imminent approach of a storm or hurricane. Strange clouds are especially recommended to be avoided by airplanes and helicopters, since cellular clouds often cause frequent and sudden wind changes. Lenticular clouds are also unique in that they form on downward rather than upward air currents.

The miraculous aurora

One of the strangest and most mysterious wonders of nature is. A stunning sight can be seen in clear, windless weather near the Earth's magnetic poles. The duration of the northern lights varies from 1-2 hours to several days and depends on solar activity.

This phenomenon itself represents the glow of the upper atmospheric layer of our planet, which is formed as a result of its interaction with the flow of hydrogen-helium plasma of the Sun. When particles collide with each other, molecules and gases in the atmosphere are activated. Their radiation appears before us in the form of a magnificent and interesting phenomenon - the northern lights. Its color palette is highlighted in purple when nitrogen is activated, scarlet and emerald when oxygen is excited.

The latest discovery of scientists who conducted research on this natural phenomenon was confirmation of the sound effect of the aurora. A research team from Aalto University, Helsinki, made an audio recording of the light flashes. Numerous legends about the “voices of the luminous sky” were confirmed.

The sun's rays, flying at a speed of 300 thousand kilometers per second and meeting the Earth on their way, are capable of creating miracles worthy of the hand of a famous artist. We see some of these miracles so often that we stop noticing them, while another part of these amazing phenomena of inanimate nature amazes casual eyewitnesses who are ready to blame everything on the tricks of UFOs or ghosts.

A rainbow wall is a rare atmospheric phenomenon, also known as a fire rainbow, that occurs when the horizontal rays of the rising or setting sun are refracted through horizontally located ice crystals of clouds.
The result is a kind of wall, painted in different colors.
colors of rainbow. The photo was taken in the skies of Washington in 2006.

Polar (northern) lights

The polar (northern) lights are one of the most beautiful optical phenomena in the world, which can be observed exclusively at high latitudes, near the poles. Typically, auroras are bluish-white, and only in exceptional cases can multicolored auroras be observed.

Auroras arise as a result of the bombardment of the upper layers of the atmosphere by charged particles moving towards the Earth along the geomagnetic field lines from the region of near-Earth space. The Northern Lights can last from several hours to several days and amaze with their extraordinary beauty.

Lightning and ball lightning

Any lightning is an electric current, which, depending on conditions, can take different forms. Especially amazing are ball lightning, which used to be called fireballs. The nature of ball lightning
is still not known exactly. Sometimes they were even observed inside houses and airplanes. The behavior of ball lightning has also not been studied. Ball lightning can be fiery red, orange or yellow and float in the air for several seconds until it disappears.

Lightning is always accompanied by thunder and a bright flash of light and is most often observed during a thunderstorm. Each of us has repeatedly seen ordinary, so-called linear lightning. But ball lightning is a rather rare phenomenon. In nature, for about a thousand ordinary, linear lightning, there are
only 2-3 balls.

We are all accustomed to seeing the ordinary moon, but sometimes when the atmosphere is dusty, high humidity or for other reasons, the Moon looks different colors. The blue and red Moon are especially unusual. A blue moon is such a rare natural phenomenon that the British even have a saying
“once in a blue moon,” which means about the same as our “after the rain on Thursday.”

The blue moon appears from ashes and burning. For example, when forests burned in Canada, the moon was blue for a whole week.

The red Moon is especially unusual.

"Fire" rain (star rain)

In fact, it is not stars that fall from the sky, but meteorites, which, upon entering the earth’s atmosphere, heat up and burn. In this case, a flash of light appears, which is visible at a fairly large distance from the surface of the Earth. Most often, a large meteor shower is called a star or meteor shower.
intensity (up to a thousand meteors per hour).

A meteor shower consists of meteors that burn up in the atmosphere and does not reach the ground, while a meteor shower consists of meteorites that fall to the ground. Previously, the former were not distinguished from the latter, and both of these phenomena were called “rain of fire.” Interesting fact: every year, from meteorite fragments and cosmic dust, the mass of the Earth increases by an average of 5
million tons.

Despite their prevalence, mirages always evoke an almost mystical sense of wonder. We all know the reason for the appearance of most mirages - overheated air changes its optical properties, causing light inhomogeneities called mirages.

A mirage is a phenomenon that has long been explained by science, but continues to amaze people. The optical effect is based on a special vertical distribution of air density. Under certain conditions
this leads to the appearance of virtual images at the horizon. However, you instantly forget all these boring explanations when you yourself become a witness to a miracle being born before your eyes.

Mirage can be observed not only in the desert, but also on the road in the sultry heat. This phenomenon is formed as a result of the refraction of sunlight through a “lens” formed by layers of colder air

Lenticular clouds (Lenticular mammatus) are a rare meteorological phenomenon.

This photo was taken on May 24, 2005 in Joplin, Missouri.

Early in the morning, Joplin residents could see these crazy clouds in the sky. Clouds called "lenticular mammatus" are quite rare. The last such occurrence was recorded in this area about 30 years ago.

Unusually high clouds (about 10-12 km), becoming visible at sunset.

St. Elmo's Fire is a very beautiful and unusual natural phenomenon.

The first witnesses to this phenomenon were sailors who observed St. Elmo's lights on masts and other vertical pointed objects. These are very beautiful luminous balls that appear from high electric field strength, for example, during a thunderstorm, blizzard or strong storm.
Sometimes it happened that St. Elmo's Fire disabled electrical and radio devices.

Ghost of Brocken, Germany

This phenomenon occurs on a foggy morning. The rainbow solar disk appears opposite the sun, as a result of the reflection of sunlight from droplets of water in the fog.

A curious triangular shadow breaking a rainbow disk of reflected sun rays

If you light a fire in the mountains at night under low clouds, your shadow will appear on the clouds and you will have a luminous halo around your head. This phenomenon is called Gloria. Gloria is an optical phenomenon that is observed on clouds located directly in front of or below the observer, at a point directly opposite the light source.

In China, Gloria is called "Buddha's light." A colored halo always surrounds the shadow of the observer, which was often interpreted as the degree of his enlightenment (closeness to the Buddha and other deities).

Buddha Light: This photo was taken in China.

The phenomenon is similar to the Brocken ghost.
The sun's rays are reflected from atmospheric droplets of water over the sea, the shadow in the middle of the rainbow circle of reflected rays is the shadow of an airplane.

The round-horizontal arc, which is called a fire rainbow for its resemblance to flame, is created by ice, not fire.

For a fire rainbow to occur, the Sun must rise above 58 degrees above the horizon, and there must be
Spindrift clouds. Additionally, the numerous flat, hexagonal ice crystals that make up cirrus clouds must be arranged horizontally to refract sunlight like one giant prism. Therefore, a fiery rainbow can be seen very rarely, but such a phenomenon looks very fascinating in the sky.

At dusk, shortly before sunrise or just after sunset, the sky above the horizon is partly colorless and partly pinkish. This phenomenon is called the belt of Venus.
The colorless stripe between the already darkened sky and the blue sky can be seen everywhere, even to the side opposite the Sun. The blueness of the sky is due to the reflection of sunlight in the atmosphere. The phenomenon of the belt of Venus is explained by the reflection in the atmosphere of the light of the setting (or rising) Sun,
which appears flushed. The Belt of Venus is visible anywhere if the horizon is clear. In the image you see the belt of Venus, photographed in the Moon Valley, covered in morning fog.

Such an unusual rainbow also appears as a result of the refraction of sunlight through ice crystals located only in certain parts of the clouds.

Photo taken on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

The small size of airy water droplets makes it impossible to decompose the sun's rays into spectra of colors, so the rainbow is only white.

Ancient man respected and revered nature as a deity. No wonder, because the primitive brain was often unable to explain some natural phenomena and perceived them as a miracle. Modern people try to find a rational explanation for everything they see, but the most unusual and rare natural phenomena still amaze the imagination, delight, and even frighten.

Top most unusual natural phenomena

Saint Elmo's Fire

A unique natural phenomenon that was first noticed and described by sailors. It was they who from time to time observed beautiful luminous balls or tassels on the masts and other vertical objects of their ships. Of course, earlier this spectacle was perceived as a miracle and promised success to sailors, because Saint Elmo is the patron saint of sailors. However, in modern times, St. Elmo's Fire has an explanation.

Unusual St. Elmo's lights were previously observed in the sea, and now also in the sky. These light sources appear due to the high voltage of the electric field. Accordingly, most often you can see these lights during a thunderstorm, blizzard or storm. Nowadays, these lights are also observed on the skin of aircraft that have fallen into a cloud of volcanic ash. Sometimes this phenomenon can even damage various electrical appliances.

Lenticular clouds

Lenticular clouds are a stunningly beautiful sight. They are most often seen around mountains and high, pointed hills. At first glance, such clouds resemble huge flying saucers, lenses or berets. Quite often this phenomenon is observed in the area of ​​Mount Shasta and Mount Fuji. The reason for this is that there is a special way that air moves in these areas.

Striking lenticular clouds over Mount Fuji By the way, lenticular clouds look frozen and motionless. So they can “hover” over the mountain for several days in a row until the wind or changing weather conditions cause them to disperse.

Polar Lights

Sometimes the aurora is called the “northern light”. It is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful sights in the world. You can contemplate this beauty exclusively in the northern regions, near the poles. As a rule, the aurora has a bluish color; less often you can see auroras that shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow.

Unusual night glow over the city This effect occurs due to processes that occur in the upper layers of the atmosphere when charged particles pass near the earth's geomagnetic field lines. The radiance is observed on average from several hours to several days.

Mirages

This phenomenon can shock even a person with a strong psyche. And this despite the fact that the nature of mirages has long been scientifically substantiated. And yet, mystical meaning is still attributed to mirages. But in fact, this is just an optical illusion and a special optical effect that is achieved as a result of a vertical change in the density of heated air. When certain conditions coincide, “visions” appear on the horizon.

Unexpected superior mirage at sea One of the types of mirage is Fata Morgana. This is a very complex optical phenomenon that is extremely rare. Fata Morgana includes several forms of mirages that are repeatedly distorted and quickly replace each other. This creates bizarre pictures that can drive any traveler crazy.

Gloria

Gloria is an optical effect that can be observed if you light a fire at night in the mountains. At the same time, the weather should be with low clouds. If the conditions coincide, a kind of “halo” will appear above your head, and you will be able to see your own shadow on the clouds.

Interesting optical effect Gloria People in the East were especially sensitive to this natural effect. Here the gloria is called the “light of Buddha.” It has long been believed that the appearance of a colored halo around a person’s shadow is evidence of his closeness to the Buddha.

Ball lightning

Each of us has observed ordinary linear lightning, which is accompanied by thunder. However, it is not so often possible to “meet” ball lightning or a fireball. A very rare phenomenon, on average, only about 2-3 ball lightning falls per thousand ordinary lightning. The ball, yellow to scarlet in color, hovers in the air for several seconds along a random trajectory and disappears.

The phenomenon of ball lightning has not yet been fully studied. It happens that such “guests” appear in houses or airplanes. Scientists have still not been able to name the exact cause of its occurrence and characterize this phenomenon.

The most unusual natural phenomenon in the world: a fire tornado

One of the most unusual and, at the same time, deadly phenomena is a fire tornado. This is a process in the atmosphere when several separate fires combine into one powerful tornado. At the same time, the air masses above the tornado heat up and become less dense, which allows the fiery element to rise upward, burning everything in its path. The height of a tornado can reach about 5 kilometers! The pressure of hot air reaches hurricane speeds, and the temperature rises to 1000 degrees Celsius. Everything in the area is “sucked in” by the fire.

A fire tornado is not only an unusual, but also a deadly phenomenon. Fortunately, this phenomenon is quite rare. However, every appearance of a fire tornado remained in the annals of history. This includes the Great Fire of London of 1666, the fire in Moscow in 1812, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and other terrible cases of violent fire. Not only natural phenomena can be beautiful, but also creations of human hands. The website has a detailed article about the most beautiful fireworks and fireworks displays.

The weather can be good or bad, but its anomalies always fascinate us. We have selected the most unusual natural phenomena that occur all over the globe and are observed extremely rarely.

(Total 19 photos and videos)

Brainicle (finger of death)

We are used to seeing icicles hanging from roofs. However, in the Arctic there are special icicles that hang under water and pose a mortal danger to the inhabitants of the ocean floor. This phenomenon was discovered almost 30 years ago, but the process of its birth was only filmed in 2011 by a BBC team.
The formation of this extraordinary icicle is easily explained by science. Salty sea water freezes a little differently and turns not into icy solids, but into something similar to a porous wet washcloth. Icebergs are literally riddled with small channels filled with salt water.

In northern latitudes, the surface air temperature can be –20 degrees Celsius, while the water temperature is much higher – about –2 degrees. The heat from the ocean water rises and melts the iceberg, forming new ice. The salt from this ice concentrates into a saturated brine and exits through shallow channels into the ocean. The density of the brine is higher and the temperature is lower, so it rushes to the bottom in a continuous stream and freezes the sea water around it. Within a few hours, the stream is covered with a thin ice crust that looks like a stalactite.

Having reached the bottom, the “finger of death” does not stop, but continues to spread along the bottom. In 15 minutes, such a structure is capable of destroying all leisurely living organisms over an area of ​​several meters. It is for this reason that the fatal icicle was called the “icy finger of death.”

Tubular clouds

There are a large number of clouds that have a special shape and special reasons for their occurrence. Umbrella-shaped, or tubular, clouds look strange and unusual. They look either like sections of pipes, or like many suspended balls, the shade of which varies from white to blue-gray. The color depends on the thickness of the cloud.

How are they made? Clouds usually have a flat base. Warm, moist air cools and condenses into water droplets. This occurs at a certain temperature, and its decrease in the atmosphere is associated with altitude above sea level. The drops grow and form an opaque cloud.

However, under special conditions (humid air above and dry air below), cloud pockets begin to form in the atmosphere, filled with large droplets of water or even ice crystals, which literally fall into the clean air under their weight. This behavior of clouds is associated with the turbulent movement of air masses. And turbulent air movement indicates the proximity of a powerful thunderstorm front.

Like any relief surface, tubular clouds are especially impressive in low light conditions, during sunset or dawn. They are mainly observed in the tropics, but also appear in more northern latitudes.

Misty Rainbow

A hazy rainbow is another optical phenomenon in the atmosphere, similar to the well-known rainbow. The phenomenon appears as a wide, shiny white arc. However, this type of rainbow is neutral in color and can be seen not during rain, but during fog.

For a fog rainbow to occur, strict conditions are required. The water droplets from which the fog is formed must have a certain size - about 0.02 mm. However, due to diffraction of light, the split spectrum is mixed and a uniform white color is obtained.

Due to edge effects, the inner radius of the rainbow may be purple, while the outer radius may be orange.

Catatumbo Lightning

Lightning is a natural phenomenon that occurs in northwestern Venezuela, where the river of the same name flows into Lake Maracaibo. There is regular thunderstorm activity above the confluence: there is lightning in the clouds almost 200 days a year, continuous thunderstorm sessions last about 10 hours.

This is where warm, moist air from the Caribbean meets cold air coming down from the Andes, creating vortices. The decaying organic matter of numerous swamps releases methane gas into the atmosphere. It improves electrical conductivity in the cloud, resulting in lightning.

For a long time, this place served as a landmark for sailors - it can be seen from a distance of more than 400 km. The Venezuelan government wants to make the unique location a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is believed to be the largest natural ozone generator.

Moon Rainbow

This phenomenon is much easier to see in a fantasy quest than in reality. Many factors are required: the full Moon must be low, the sky must be dark, and there must be a powerful waterfall opposite the luminary or it must be raining.

And still you will see a lunar rainbow completely white. The fact is that even under the best conditions its brightness is extremely low and human physiology allows you to see only a white rainbow.

This is where a modern camera that shoots at long exposures can come to the rescue. An exposure of 15-30 seconds will allow the sensor to collect enough light, and the rainbow can be seen in color, but only in the photograph.

Gloria is another phenomenon associated with the diffraction of light in cloud or fog droplets. This weather phenomenon can only be detected when the light source is behind you and the light reflected from the cloud returns directly to the observer. Gloria can be seen in the mountains as her own silhouette or during a flight as the shadow of an airplane on a cloud.

The rainbow halo around one's own shadow was interpreted by Buddhists as the degree of human enlightenment. The seemingly huge and living shadow disturbed the Germans who climbed the mountains.

Coastal cappuccino

The sea can turn to foam in any part of the planet, but it most often occurs in the southern hemisphere. In a few minutes, the entire coastline, houses and sun loungers disappear into suddenly appearing foam, which slowly dissolves on the sand.

For foam to appear in seawater there must be a large accumulation of algae, salt and some waste. These components act as surfactants (like shampoo in your bathroom) and reduce surface tension at the interface between water and air. Well, it doesn’t cost anything for strong currents and wind to whip all the ingredients into a rich foam and carry it out to the stunned swimmers.

So far, foaming occurs only occasionally. But with further ocean pollution it may become permanent.

Sprites, elves and blue jets

In addition to the lightning that we see from Earth, powerful flashes directed into space occur above thunderclouds. They are divided into red sprites, blue sprites and elves. The shape and color of the flashes depend on the altitude at which they occur.

Unlike lightning, these flashes are characterized by a distinct blue or red color and cover distances of up to 100 km in length and diameter. This makes them an element of space weather, since northern lights are born in these areas and meteors fly.

This phenomenon has been poorly studied for one reason: flares can be observed from Earth only at low altitudes. They are currently being studied from the ISS. According to some reports, strong surges of electricity can “drive” ozone out of the protective layer.

Waterspout

Waterspouts look like small tornadoes of water and typically occur under a cloud above the water's surface. Although from the outside it may appear that liquid is literally being sucked out of the water, the tornado is located above the surface and consists of water droplets formed by condensation.

Strong waterspouts occasionally occur, but most are weak and caused by the collision of atmospheric dynamics that form a vortex.

Fire tornado

This natural phenomenon appears extremely rarely and under certain environmental conditions (temperature, air flows). It occurs when a column of hot, rising air interacts with or causes a fire on the ground. It is a vertical whirlpool of fire in the air.

Morning Glory

Morning glory is a rare meteorological phenomenon, a “thunderstorm collar” that forms at the border of an advancing cold front. The downdraft causes the warm, moist air to rise and cool - causing it to cool below its dew point and become a cloud.

This happens along the entire length of the front: the cloud is up to 1000 km long and also rotates around the longitudinal axis. The speed of cloud rolling can reach 60 km/h, which portends heavy winds and bad weather in the direction of the “collar” movement.

By the nature of its origin, morning gloria can be considered a tornado that lies on its side. It regularly appears in autumn in northern Australia, occasionally in other parts of the world.

Volcanic lightning

Volcanic activity provides a very fertile environment for spectacular discharges, in several ways. The incredible amount of volcanic dust and gas emitted creates a dense stream of charged particles.

This causes electrostatic ionization and, as a result, very powerful and very frequent lightning, which tries to neutralize the charge. Two types of such lightning are observed: 1) striking from the crater and associated with electrical processes in the magma, 2) occurring in the clouds and associated with the friction of volcanic ash.

However, the processes of thunderstorm formation at volcanoes are very complex and depend on many factors: temperature, eruption height, dust dispersion and its composition. Due to the large number of particulate volcanic ash particles, such thunderstorms are also called dirty thunderstorms.