On September 7, 2024, NASA’s American Earth remote sensing satellite Landsat 8 captured an image of a unique lenticular (lens-shaped) cloud over the Otago region of New Zealand’s South Island.

Lenticular clouds are a relatively rare natural phenomenon. They form at the crests of air waves or between two air layers when the prevailing winds collide with a barrier such as a mountain range.

The wind forced over the mountains creates a kind of wave in the atmosphere. At the top of the wave, the air cools and the water vapor in it condenses and turns into clouds. Conversely, the descending air causes heating and evaporation. The cloud forms at the top of this wave and remains almost stationary in the sky and is shaped by the strong winds blowing over it.