Many have claimed to have spotted unidentified flying objects (UFOs) or spaceships in various parts of the world. The first report of an alleged flying saucer dates back to 1947 when a pilot named Kenneth Arnold reportedly saw nine objects which resembled boomerangs in the sky. Arnold described the movement of the objects as "like a saucer if you skip it across the water," however, it was reported as "flying saucers". Meanwhile, investigators thought that the pilot probably saw a flock of pelicans.
After Arnold's alleged sighting of a flying saucer, there were many reports of the same. However, the evidence seems to be ever elusive.
On Tuesday morning, a brightly coloured, spaceship-like something loomed over Australia's Melbourne as dawn broke and video producer Sue Roberts captured the beautiful formation in the sky. Posting the picture on Facebook, she wrote, "Just now in Hawthorn - gorgeous sunrise. Unusual cloud too."
Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Roberts said, "It was about 6:30 and I just saw the most amazing light in the sky. It was brightly coloured and looked like a spaceship. It looked quite surreal actually." The weird thing, she said, "It was just sitting there for ages and I was curious to know what type of cloud it was."
According to Rowland Beardsell, technical observer at the Bureau of Meteorology, it was a lenticular cloud (altocumulus lenticularis). Beardsell said these clouds formed near mountain ranges where there was strong atmospheric flow pushing perpendicular to the range. "Basically you've got these beautiful, smooth layers of wind just running along happily and they get obstructed by the mountain range which causes waves to form," he said. He further said that moisture content is required in the atmosphere for us to see the cloud.
Speaking about the colour of the sky at the time, Beardsell said it was just lucky timing. "We had the sun rising in the east and the illumination on the ice crystals in the cloud just gave rise to that beautiful orange appearance," he said.
