An astonishing display of lenticular clouds was seen on Honshu, Japan's largest and most populous island.
The rare sighting took place in the city of Fujiyoshida on December 28, Kohki Yamaguchi, the photographer/videographer who captured the moment, told Newsweek. Fujiyoshida sits at the northern base of Mount Fuji in the Yamanashi prefecture of Honshu.
Yamaguchi, 29, who is based in Tokyo, shared the footage in a time-lapse video posted five days ago on his Instagram account, @Kohki. A caption shared with the post reads: "Rare lenticular clouds spotted at Fuji. Have you seen clouds like this before?"
The clip shows a cotton candy–like cloud formation appearing to spin above a snow-capped mountain peak. The "lenticular formation first started forming around 7 a.m. [local time]," said Yamaguchi.
What Are Lenticular Clouds?
Lenticular clouds are "associated with waves in the atmosphere that develop when relatively stable, fast-moving air is forced up and over a topographic barrier," says the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS). That barrier is situated more or less perpendicular to the direction from where the wind is blowing.
"This deflection creates a gravity wave downwind of the topographic barrier not unlike a wave you might generate by throwing a pebble into a pond," the NWS says.
Also known as "UFO clouds or cap clouds," lenticular clouds offer "a rare glimpse at the crests of gravity waves," says Earthdata, a website of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
"When air rushes over mountains and the conditions are right, with cold air and water vapor condensing into droplets, lenticular clouds form at the crest of the waves," the website explains.
Lenticular clouds are formed when "strong winds blow across complex terrain, causing the water vapor in the air mass to alternately compress, then decompress, and thus condense into shapes which roughly mirror the terrain beneath," according to NASA's Airborne Science Program website. "They are also near-certain indicators of turbulence."
The NWS says lenticular clouds appear stationary even though winds are "swiftly, sometimes very swiftly" moving through the entire cloud. They're often seen in the winter or spring "when winds aloft are typically the strongest."
'Never Seen Anything Like This'
Instagram users were blown away by the cloud sighting. User jo.naka545 said: "I have never seen anything like this. It is so awesome!"
User taku.solis wrote, "Now that's magic," while mendozallopis said, "This looks insane."
User chester_japanesespitz said it is "beautiful and scary at the same time."
User lielaine said simply wrote, "So epic!" And bskphoto said: "This is absolutely incredible man, so jealous!"
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
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