Keen photographers in Bolton have captured a rare weather phenomena which has lit up the sky above Bolton in stunning shimmering rainbow colours.
Known commonly as 'rainbow clouds', in science circles the spectacle is known scientifically as Nacreous cloud, which is usually formed in polar regions when the sun is just below the horizon.
Local residents as well as members of Bolton News Camera have shared their wonderful pictures with The Bolton News.
They are also nicknamed the ‘mother of pearl clouds or the nacreous clouds, clouds with hues of pink, blue and purple were seen in the sky for sunrise.
Katie Robertson spotted them on the way back from the school run in Kearsley and said: “I like the sky anyway, so I always look around, but I noticed this morning that it looked like a rainbow was seeping through the clouds.
“On the way back from the school run I pulled over and took some pictures because it’s so unusual.
“I just thought I should take some pictures and look into it and identify what clouds they were because I have not seen that before.
“I looked online and saw pictures from Scotland and Lapland so I was a bit confused if it was the same thing but it looks similar.”
Nacreous clouds, according to the Met office, are rare and very high clouds, known mainly for the coloured light they reflect after sunset and before sunrise.
The colours are reminiscent of the colours which reflect from a thin layer of oil on top of water, an effect known as iridescence.
This brings about bright colours which can be seen on the clouds in the sky at sunrise.
A Met Office spokesman said: “Nacreous clouds form in the lower stratosphere over polar regions when the Sun is just below the horizon.
“The ice particles that form nacreous clouds are much smaller than those that form more common clouds.
“These smaller particles scatter light in a different way, which is what creates the distinctive luminescent appearance.”
Mark Hainey in The Bolton News Camera Club also saw the rare clouds and posted pictures of his own following the stormy weather.
He wrote: “The sun is casting some lovely colours in the stormy sky.”
Chris Hainey posted similar pictures when he saw the sky and asked people if they knew what it was.
He posted: “I forgot I took these photos last Saturday of these crazy iridescent clouds (I have no idea what the proper term is for this type of cloud). Did anyone else see these?”
The clouds are normally only seen in places with higher latitudes, such as Scandinavia and northern Canada, so seeing them in Bolton is very rare.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here