UFO-like Cloud Over Mount Washington Explained. Here’s the Real Science

Was an alien space craft hovering over New England this week? Some observers may have thought so.

On Tuesday, a huge funnel-like cloud was spotted above Mount Washington in New Hampshire. The fluffy formation looked like a tube ready to vacuum New England's highest peak up into the clouds.

Though the massive mountain stayed right where it was, that cloud formation didn't stick around for too long.

Luckily, the jaw-dropping moment was captured in photos and shared by the Mount Washington Observatory.

Appearing somewhat like a spaceship dropping out of the sky, the formation is actually  a lenticular cloud.

What Is a Lenticular Cloud?

Though I certainly remember learning about cumulus and nimbus clouds back in school science class, the lenticular cloud probably never came up.

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Perhaps that's because these clouds pretty much only form over mountains and need very specific conditions to stick around.

How Mountain Air Creates UFO Looks

Lenticular clouds form as moist air is pushed up over a mountain, then cools into a cloud as it hits cooler air higher up. The air then cools again as it's pushed over the cloud peak, leaving a stacked tube-like shape that often appears to be sitting still in the sky.

Air around a lenticular cloud is actually pretty turbulent, helping to create the circular stacks of clouds that resemble UFOs. They're also good indicators of air patches that could be dangerous to aircraft.

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So not only did this particular cloud over Mount Washington give us all an amazing site to see, it also gave local pilots a heads up about flying over the 6,288 foot peak.