Residents across Sheffield have been amazed by rare sights as rainbow-effect clouds brought a colourful display to the skies.
These clouds, known as nacreous clouds, are rarely spotted in the UK because of the conditions needed.
The Star reader Dmitri Armitage captured a series of photographs of the exceptional sight at around 10am on Thursday (December 21) from Walkley.
Nacreous clouds are usually seen in polar regions and need temperatures below -78C to form. These extreme temperatures are only found in the polar stratosphere at around 15-25km high in the atmosphere.
These ‘mother-of-pearl’ clouds are mostly seen a couple of hours either side of sunset or sunrise and, being so high, they are still lit by sunlight which makes them appear even brighter.
The clouds coincided with the chaos of Storm Pia. Strong winds tore down trees in Sheffield and ripped off the roofs of homes.
1. Rainbow clouds
Dmitri Armitage captured the beautiful nacreous clouds above Walkley, Sheffield, on the morning of December 21.
2. Rainbow clouds
Dmitri Armitage captured the beautiful nacreous clouds above Walkley, Sheffield, on the morning of December 21.
3. Rainbow clouds
Dmitri Armitage captured the beautiful nacreous clouds above Walkley, Sheffield, on the morning of December 21.