Thanks to what an epic spectacle was formed

Fujiyama, a stratovolcano on the Japanese island of Honshu, itself causes visual ecstasy. And crowned with a" cap " of clouds, it can even cause an uncontrolled attack of admiration. What is the amazing shape of the cloud hanging over its top?

This is a lenticular, or lentil-shaped cloud, or lenticularis (from Latin-lenticularis). Such clouds appear on the crests of orographic standing atmospheric waves from the downwind side of the obstacle. When the air flow goes around an obstacle, atmospheric waves are formed, which lead to the appearance of lenticularis in the sky.

On the ascending branch of the wave, the air cools. The water vapor that it contains condenses. On the descending branch, on the contrary, the air heats up. Which leads to the evaporation of water vapor. As a result of this continuous process — condensation and evaporation — lenticular clouds do not change their position and as if "glued" freeze in the sky.