Top 20 Extraordinary and Rare Natural Phenomena

This type of ice whirlpool is known as a brinicle, first observed in the 1960s but appearing for the first time near the Ross Island seabed in the frigid Antarctic at -2°C. Ice whirlpools are rare phenomena found only in regions where the surface sea freezes. They form due to the sinking of cold seawater (saturated with salt).

Hot air from warmer sea regions flows through the cold air, creating new ice formations on the seabed. This ice is pushed into the sea, sinks, and freezes the warmer sea area it contacts, forming ice patches that freeze solid upon contact with any marine life. Consequently, all marine organisms passing through the whirlpool perish.

White rainbow is a phenomenon similar to a rainbow, typically formed from sunlight and very small water droplets with a diameter less than 0.05 mm (mist). The water droplets are too small to diffract light to create the multiple colors seen in raindrops. Therefore, they cause a diffraction effect that makes the rainbow appear white to the naked eye.

Lightning is a breathtaking phenomenon of nature, heating the surrounding air to around 27,760 degrees Celsius, five times hotter than the surface temperature of the Sun. It occurs not only in thunderstorms, a meteorological phenomenon consisting of storms, heavy rain, thunder, and strong winds, but also in atmospheric electrical discharges. According to scientists' estimates, lightning strikes the Earth about 100 times per second, with 70% of them occurring in tropical regions. Various types of lightning include cloud-to-ground lightning, ground-to-cloud lightning (electrical current moving between the ground and clouds above).

The most common type of lightning is cloud-to-cloud and intra-cloud lightning, the phenomenon of electron exchange between clouds without striking the ground. There are also other types such as forked lightning, ball lightning, upper atmospheric lightning, sheet lightning, rocket lightning, dry lightning, etc., which can occur in hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, and even dust storms and snowstorms.

Despite extensive research on lightning, volcanic lightning remains a puzzle because scientists have yet to explain why lightning occurs during volcanic eruptions. One hypothesis suggests that the large amount of dust released simultaneously at high speed generates intense friction and strong electric charges, creating lightning bolts.

Moonbow, also known as a lunar rainbow, is a rare and elusive natural phenomenon. It is created by light reflecting off the surface of the Moon. Due to the limited amount of light reflected from the Moon's surface, moonbows appear quite faint.

With the naked eye, we can only see moonbows appearing white. But with professional camera lenses, moonbows with full colors become vividly visible.

Maracaibo is the largest saltwater lake in South America located in the state of Zulia, Northwestern Venezuela. The lake has a length of 99 km, width of 67 km, depth of 60 m, and a total area of 13,210 km2. For many centuries, at the mouth of the rivers flowing into Lake Maracaibo, about 160 nights are struck by lightning each year, 10 hours a day, 280 times an hour, corresponding to about 1.2 million lightning strikes in a year. The lightning here often displays vibrant colors, stunningly beautiful. The most miraculous thing is that this phenomenon occurs only at one location. The locals call this river 'the river of fire in the sky' or 'the river that catches fire from the sky.'

This phenomenon is also a source of pride for the local people as it has had a significant impact on the country's liberation cause. In 1595, continuous lightning strikes at the river mouth thwarted the English fleet led by Francis Drake from attacking the lake area. On July 24, 1823, the light from the lightning flashes illuminated Admiral José Prudencio Padilla's fleet, leading to victory over the Spanish fleet, forcing Spain to recognize Venezuela's independence.

Therefore, Venezuelans believe that the lightning at the river mouth symbolizes the strength of their nation, it is not only a beacon for sailors but also helps them to achieve freedom. Venezuelans have composed many poems praising it, and the image of lightning is even depicted on the flag, while its sound resonates in the national anthem of the country.

Cappuccino sea foam phenomenon occurs when there is a high concentration of algae and pollutants in the water. These components act like shampoo creating bubbles and foam. It can turn an entire large beach into a 'bathtub' full of soap suds in just a few minutes. The amount of sea foam washing up on the beach depends on various factors such as coastal topography, wind speed, and weather conditions.

Glory is an optical phenomenon, similar to a rainbow and a halo. It occurs when light passes through water droplets in mist or raindrops (clouds) and emits light backwards.

Water dragon spout is a phenomenon that occurs when a waterspout moves over a lake or the ocean, appearing as a towering column of white water, often accompanied by thunder. We see a column of water rising because the water vapor inside the waterspout has extremely low pressure. The water splashing at the base of the water column is the spray formed when the water dragon spout hits the surface of the lake or the ocean. That spray can weigh tens of tons. Many water dragon spouts form independently, not dependent on storms, and they also form when the weather is relatively good.

Apart from blue, our sky boasts a spectacular array of colors. The colors of the sky result from the intricate interplay between the sun and our planet's atmosphere. Artists have long painted the sky in all its guises, and storytellers often draw inspiration from it. Ancient Greeks like Plato and Aristotle were among the first to write their theories about color and its relation to meteorological phenomena. However, scientists took many centuries to elucidate the science behind the colors we see in the sky. This beautifully colored sky is the result of electrical activity in the atmosphere.

Morning Glory clouds are incredibly rare cloud formations resembling cigar-shaped rolls. Morning Glory clouds are often seen in autumn in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia. The length of a Morning Glory cloud roll can reach 1,000 km with heights of 1 - 2 km. They form horizontally and move at speeds of up to 60 km/h. One of the main reasons for the appearance of Morning Glory clouds is the circulation of mesoscale linked with sea breezes.

Fire whirl, also known as fire tornado. This phenomenon often occurs but is very rare or recorded. The reason is that a fire in certain conditions (depending on air temperature and convection) will create a vortex convection vertically like a fire whirl. The fire is drawn and rises high in that vortex stream, which may be fires around the fire that created it, or the fire that created this convection.

Ascending higher, the air becomes drier and colder, snowflakes falling too fast to melt or form layers but instead forming peculiar, meter-high ice blades. These ice blades stack beside each other, facing the sun, creating an incredibly unique scene. This phenomenon occurs in high mountain areas with low humidity.

Lens-shaped clouds are formations resulting from the condensation of water vapor at high altitudes such as above mountain peaks. Water vapor condenses as temperatures drop and winds push them against mountain slopes or steep terrain. Mountains act as natural barriers, causing clouds to quickly condense as they move into colder air layers. These clouds often have very peculiar shapes, leading them to be mistaken for UFOs at times.

Frost flowers are ice crystals, typically found on young sea ice and thin lake ice. These crystals resemble salt spray but develop with diameters of about 3 - 4 cm. Frost flowers form on thin sea ice when the air is much colder than the ice layer below (temperature difference is at least 15°C). Frost flowers are a marvel of nature.

A Supercell is a rare and extremely dangerous type of storm, characterized by continuously rotating clouds in a vertically-oriented storm system accompanied by hail, strong winds, and thunderstorms. It often occurs with various types of storms in different locations. The Supercell Storm is also known as the 'mother of tornadoes' because it has the ability to spawn tornadoes.

A Sun Halo, scientifically known as a parhelion, is a phenomenon where multiple 'suns' appear simultaneously. However, only one sun is real, and the rest are sun halos, with the real sun being the brightest. This optical phenomenon occurs when the sun approaches the horizon, and its light passes through ice crystals in the atmosphere, creating a refraction effect, forming 2 - 3 bright rings resembling the sun. The halos closer to the sun appear red, while those farther away may appear green or yellow. This phenomenon can be observed anywhere in the world throughout the year, during all four seasons, but the appearance of sun halos is not always very distinct.

Fire rainbow, also known as circumhorizontal arc, is a remarkable optical phenomenon, appearing as a band of multiple colors parallel to the horizon. It occurs when clouds containing uniform-sized water droplets scatter or refract light, causing the light to separate into different wavelengths or colors.

Snow Doughnuts are formed when snow falls. The thin layer of snow on top is rolled down by the wind to areas slightly inclined and open, creating snow masses resembling moving doughnuts. These snow masses are very fragile, so they can break apart easily if the weather changes or encounters obstacles.

Bubble Clouds (Mammatus) are a type of cloud formation that appears in spherical shapes resembling small bubbles. This phenomenon occurs after severe storms or large thunderstorms cause significant temperature differentials, disrupting the normal cloud formation process. Cloud masses with high moisture content, heavier, sink beneath lighter cloud masses. Mammatus clouds often accompany strong winds and serve as a warning sign of an impending major storm.

Undulatus Asperatus clouds are a stunning sight. However, the explanations for their formation remain a subject of debate among scientific researchers.