It’s happened to most of us at least once or twice in our life. Innocent as we are, we head outside, enjoy the scenery, look up to the sky, and see… wait, what? What the heck is that? It’s the sky. It’s doing something really strange. Like, really strange. If you haven’t figured it out by now, we’re talking about cloud formations. But not just any cloud formations, we’re talking about some really avant-garde, experimental, out-there cloud formations. The type of things you truly don’t see often.

Mesocyclone Clouds (Supercells)

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We know how this looks (it looks very scary. But hear us out for a second: these menacing storm clouds really aren’t as terrifying as they seem. Supercell clouds form during organized thunderstorms, and they create a deep rotating updraft, exactly like the one in the photograph. It’s for that reason that they’re also called ‘rotating thunderstorms’. Yet, the storm itself is usually pretty harmless. These kinds of clouds often take shape over rural Nebraska, so keep your eyes peeled!

Lenticular Clouds

Gettyimages / Yuga Kurita / Moment

Lenticular clouds are nature’s fluffiest cloud formations. They also, for some reason, tend to appear on the top of Mount Fuji, making it look as though it were wearing a hat. Lenticular clouds are stationary clouds formed on the lowest level of the Earth’s atmosphere; they are known for their unique lens-like appearance. This is made even more apparent since they’re often isolated from other clouds.

Polar Stratospheric Clouds

Gettyimages / RenATE Photography / Moment

An incredibly rare meteorological phenomenon. Staying true to their name, polar stratospheric clouds are clouds that form up in the stratosphere, the second major layer of the Earth’s atmosphere. In most cases, the stratosphere is too dry an environment for clouds to form, but in extreme polar winters, there’s enough moisture in the sky to bring forth a stunning formation of colorful clouds.