Brits have been left perplexed by bizarre UFO-shaped clouds which have been described as a ‘rare phenomenon’ by weather experts.
The unusual orb-shaped clouds have been spotted across the country, leaving people to question whether aliens have finally landed.
However, the unusual sightings have now been revealed to be something less extra-terrestrial as the Met Office have described the phenomenon as lenticular clouds.
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According to the experts, they form when air is stable and winds blow across hills and mountains from the same or similar direction at different heights.
They are actually avoided by aeroplanes due to creating in-flight turbulence.
Nevertheless, larger lenticular formations were pictured earlier this year over northern Scotland and across the borders.
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A Met Office spokesperson told Edinburgh Live: "These strange, unnatural looking clouds sometimes form downwind of hills or mountains.
"They are quite unusual in the British Isles but do occasionally occur.
“They look a lot like the traditional shape of flying saucers in science fiction, and real lenticular clouds are believed to be one of the most common explanations for UFO sightings across the world.
"When air blows across a mountain range, in certain circumstances, it can set up a train of large standing waves in the air downstream, rather like ripples forming in a river when water flows over an obstruction.
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"If there is enough moisture in the air, the rising motion of the wave will cause water vapour to condense, forming the unique appearance of lenticular clouds.
"Lenticular clouds are a visible sign of mountain waves in the air. However, these waves can be present beyond the clouds, and may exist even when no clouds are formed.
"On the ground, they can result in very strong gusty winds in one place, with still air only a few hundred metres away.
"Pilots of powered aircraft tend to avoid flying near lenticular clouds because of the turbulence that accompany them.
"Skilled (and brave) glider pilots, on the other hand, like them, because they can tell from the shape of the clouds where the air will be rising."
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Just last week, the UK experienced an even stranger phenomenon sweeping our skies.
The world seemed to take on an orange hue after a Saharan dust cloud pushed its way across Europe.
The dust occurred as a result of sand and dust mixing from the Saharan desert, which was blown further afield by strong winds – in this case, from Storm Celia.
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@Sunnysidegh/BBC Weather Watchers
