Recently, strange clouds appeared in the sky over Canada, resembling the famous painting by Vincent van Gogh. These clouds are referred to as “apocalyptic clouds”, and scientists suggest that this could be “the first and last time” we see such formations.
Even those who are not art enthusiasts might recognize the painting Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, as it is extremely famous. While it’s easy to find this painting online, not everyone has the opportunity to see it in person.
However, recently, residents of Ottawa, Canada, felt as though they were witnessing a real-life version of that artwork. This was because, one morning, the sky was suddenly filled with unusual clouds that looked remarkably similar to the aforementioned painting.
The sky looks very unusual in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo: Ann Martin).
In the images captured in Ottawa, the sky was covered with a gray wave-like cloud formation. Light filtered through various spots in the cloudy sky, creating a stark contrast between the gray and white. As a result, the sky appeared as a striking black-and-white painting.
The cloud images quickly garnered hundreds of thousands of likes and tens of thousands of shares. Netizens commented that they had never seen clouds like this before, admitting that the sky indeed resembled Van Gogh’s Starry Night.
The painting ‘Starry Night’ by Vincent van Gogh. (Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA).
According to CBC, these are asperitas clouds, also known as apocalyptic clouds, which were officially recognized by the International Cloud Atlas in 2017. They appear quite dark and ominous but are not actually related to the concept of “apocalypse.” Meteorologists still do not fully understand how these clouds form. They suggest that asperitas clouds can appear before or after a thunderstorm, but sometimes they appear without any accompanying storms.
The sky looks like a black-and-white painting. (Photo: Ann Martin).
Meteorological experts say that apocalyptic clouds are considered the rarest type of clouds on Earth, so this “could be the first and last time we see them.” Additionally, while apocalyptic clouds generally resemble gray ripples, this time the clouds were evenly rolled and had intriguing light filtering through, creating an image very reminiscent of Van Gogh’s painting. Thus, it can be said that this phenomenon is something to behold “once in a lifetime.”
