Another if times get hard way to entertain many of us

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS

 Earth's "noctilucent daisy" is glowing brighter than ever. Seeded by meteor smoke, noctilucent clouds are surrounding the north pole in a luminous circle visible from ground and space alike. Tadas Janušonis photographed this display on July 18th from Vabalninkas in the Birzai district of Lithuania:

 

"This was the best show in the night sky I've seen this year by far," says Janušonis. "Noctilucent clouds were shining from twilight to dawn."

2013 is shaping up to be a great year for NLCs. The clouds surprised researchers by appearing early this year, and many bright displays have already been recorded. Once confined to the Arctic, NLCs have been sighted in recent years as far south as Utah, Colorado, and Nebraska. They might spread even farther south in 2013.

Observing tips: Look west 30 to 60 minutes after sunset when the sun has dipped 6^o to 16^o below the horizon. If you see luminous blue-white tendrils spreading across the sky, you've probably spotted a noctilucent cloud.