Eerie "UFO cloud" spotted again over a mountain in New Zealand: what is known about the mysterious phenomenon

The eerie "UFO cloud", which is periodically recorded over a mountain in New Zealand, has reappeared in the same place. The unique thing about this cloud is that it hangs motionless in the sky before eventually disappearing.

This feature was first seen over a mountain on the South Island of New Zealand in the 1890s. According to scientists, the appearance of this cloud is related to the specifics of the area, TheSun reports.

Some people call this stationary cloud a UFO, but the locals are not afraid of it at all, but rather call it a "Taieri pet." They know that their furry friend often appears between the cities of Middlemarch and Hyde, in the Otago region of the South Island.

Recently, a beautiful bird's eye view of a stationary cloud was captured by a NASA satellite. Before that, it was captured in 2020 by Air New Zealand first officer Jeff Beckett, who was in the cockpit of an airplane flying to Dunedin in the South Island.

"I've been flying for 20 years and I've never seen anything like this. The cloud just grew and grew and grew. It was massive. What I saw made me think of a huge alien mothership," Beckett shared his impressions at the time.

However, the cloud is not of alien origin. According to the American Weather Service (ASLC), the "Taieri pet" is an elongated, highly cumulonimbus, standing lenticular cloud.

These clouds, often referred to as "pancake stacks," form when air waves pass over a topographic barrier, such as a mountain range, causing water vapor to condense into vertical layers. The cloud is then held in place and formed further by perpendicular winds blowing from the north, NASA's Earth Observatory explained.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!