SILVERY CLOUDS: GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS AND PECULIARITIES OF DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The main types of observations of silvery clouds are described, as well as methods for processing these observations. In the course of the study, the General characteristics of silvery clouds and their observation conditions were clarified. According to the results of the study, it was noted that the duration of visibility of silvery clouds varies widely. In practice, silvery clouds are formed in the summer and in the middle latitudes, because at this time there is a significant cooling in the mesopause, and at this level the necessary conditions are created for the formation of ice crystals that form silvery clouds. Silvery clouds are observed on average at an altitude of 70-80 km and are visible against the background of the twilight segment. The best conditions for visibility of silvery clouds are navigational twilight, when the sun falls 6°-12°above the observer's horizon. A brief description of methods for observing silvery clouds was also given.The analysis of the General characteristics of the morphological types of silvery clouds was carried out as a result of the research work of N. I. Grishin in 1950.