This beautiful but rare and strange phenomenon is called Sky Punch, or Hole Punch clouds. An explanation for this event is still debated, but some believe that the hole is formed when falling ice crystals from the exhaust of a passing aircraft “punch” through cirrocumulus clouds, since there is often evidence of jet contrails in the area when the sky punch clouds are observed. Those falling ice crystals you can see sublimate – or go straight from a solid to a gas – as they fall toward the ground.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 20:13:20 +0000