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Countess of the Winds lenticular cloud over Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy
Countess of the Winds
Against a Sicilian sunset, a strange cloud like a stacked pair of flying saucers looms motionless near Mount Etna's summit. Lenticular clouds form close to prominent mountains in special conditions where water vapour condenses over a summit, then is shaped and smoothed by waves of wind passing over the slopes. The lenticular cloud that forms over Etna appears often enough that locals gave it the nickname "Contessa dei Venti", or Countess of the Winds, perhaps after its billowy layers resembling a rotund noblewoman's dress.
Countess of the Winds
Against a Sicilian sunset, a strange cloud like a stacked pair of flying saucers looms motionless near Mount Etna's summit. Lenticular clouds form close to prominent mountains in special conditions where water vapour condenses over a summit, then is shaped and smoothed by waves of wind passing over the slopes. The lenticular cloud that forms over Etna appears often enough that locals gave it the nickname "Contessa dei Venti", or Countess of the Winds, perhaps after its billowy layers resembling a rotund noblewoman's dress.
Lenticular clouds form in special conditions where winds shape pockets of moisture into UFO-like shapes.
© Alessandro Saffo / SOPA / eStock 2026-09-11 08:45:51 :