Screaming clouds

What is it about?

Nacreous clouds, or "mother-of-pearl" clouds is a rare phenomenon appearing in the stratosphere in near polar areas, 20-30 km above the surface of the Earth. They require very low temperatures, sufficient humidity and aerosols to be formed, which are seldom fulfilled simultaneously. However, when appearing after sunset, they may set up an incredible performance of extraordinary brilliance of a wide range of colors on a darkening background. As a contemporary scientist of Munch explained it "They are so beautiful you could believe you were in another world!" For a person who could not understand the phenomenon they may appear as frightening, especially if none of your friends had seen the same, as in the case of Edvard Munch. "Everybody would think of clouds", he said, and he could neither paint what he had seen because "the miserable means of painting never went far enough". In the article we refer to documentation of numerous events of such clouds during the 1880's, and how they were described by scientists at that time.

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Why is it important?

Although it is not possible to provide "scientific evidence", we think that our hypothesis is more believable than other theories explaining the background for this iconic painting in the history of art. Also, that in case Munch never saw such stratospheric clouds, such a painting would not had existed.

Perspectives