NOCTILUCENT clouds have been spotted in the sky recently, and this amazing photo shows the extremely rare clouds over Stonehenge.

This beautiful photo, taken by Nick Bull, known to many as Stonehenge Dronescapes, was shared in the Salisbury Journal Camera Club on Facebook.

Nick was incredibly pleased with his efforts, he said: "After a lot of sitting around waiting over the last four weeks, I finally got my chance to capture them at Stonehenge around 11pm.

"Then typically, we had another display from around 2:30am."


READ MORE: Northern Lights: Stonehenge photographed under aurora


What are Noctilucent Clouds?

According to the Met Office, Noctilucent clouds are extremely rare very high clouds seen in the night sky, usually on clear, summer nights.Salisbury Journal: Noctilucent Clouds over StonehengeNoctilucent Clouds over Stonehenge (Image: Nick Bull/Stonehenge Dronescapes)

They become visible about the same time as the brightest stars and are usually bluish or silvery.

Noctilucent clouds are extremely rare collections of ice crystals, occasionally appearing in late clear summer evenings after sunset, but before it gets completely dark.

They become visible about the same time as the brightest stars appear and often stay visible after dark because they are still reflecting sunlight due to their great height.

They are seen less often in the Southern Hemisphere as there is very little land and very few people there. Only the southern tip of Argentina and Chile, and the Antarctic are at the correct latitude.


SEE ALSO: Extremely rare Noctilucent clouds spotted over Salisbury


How do they form?

Like many clouds, noctilucent clouds need water vapour, dust, and very low temperatures to form. Low temperatures are easily attainable in the Mesosphere, but water vapour and dust are in short supply.

The dust may well come from tiny meteors from space, although dust from volcanoes or man-made pollutants may add to these.

Scientists believe that the moisture comes through gaps in the tropopause, or perhaps forms from the chemical reaction of methane and other chemicals.