Clouds resemble flying saucers on the top of Chua Chan mountain

On the morning of October 31, many people going to work in Xuan Loc district, Long Khanh city, Cam My district… were surprised to see large clouds “gathering on the top of Chua Chan mountain” like flying saucers. The white clouds on the top of the mountain amidst the blue sky create an amazing scene, scientists call the “lens cloud” phenomenon.

Mr. Minh Hien, in Lang Minh commune, Xuan Loc district, said the phenomenon appeared early in the morning. “I went to the field to look at the mountain and saw it. This is not the first time, it has appeared occasionally for many years,” he said.

Some people in Long Khanh City and Cam My district, dozens of kilometers away, still clearly saw the large, thick clouds covering the entire mountain. “Due to the high altitude, the mountain top is often cloudy, but it’s the first time I’ve seen the clouds cover so widely and create such beautiful shapes,” said Ms. Hang, from Long Khanh City.

According to the Hanoi Astronomical Society (HAS), the above phenomenon is essentially lenticular clouds (Lenticular clouds). These are stationary clouds, shaped like lenses, that form in high mountain ranges.

Chua Chan Mountain is about 110 km from Ho Chi Minh City, 837 m high above sea level. This is the highest mountain in Dong Nai, the second highest mountain in the Southeast. In Vietnam, in addition to Chua Chan mountain, the top of Ba Den mountain also frequently appears these lens clouds.

Once shared with VnExpressDr. Phan Thanh Hien, lecturer, researcher at the Department of Space and Applications, University of Science and Technology Hanoi (USTH) explained, the phenomenon of lenticular clouds appears when wind carrying moisture moves into If the mountain is blocked, it will rush up to meet the cold air and condense. Due to the constant and stable upward push of the wind, ripples will form on top of each other. Often at high mountain peaks, the temperature drops lower, reaching the condensation threshold, so cloud halos look like “hats” created on the mountain tops.

According to Dr. Hien, this strange cloud phenomenon depends on the temperature, that is, the temperature is low enough and the moisture is high enough to condense. “This is not a rare phenomenon, but it is rare and has a special shape, so it is quite interesting and curious.”