Futility Closet

Sky Waves

Posted in Oddities by Greg Ross on September 16th, 2009

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robinhutton/413337607/

No one knows what causes the “morning glory” clouds of northern Australia, but they’re striking — long rolling tubes that can stretch for hundreds of kilometers across the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Glider pilots converge on tiny Burketown in Far North Queensland each fall, hoping to “surf the glory,” riding the unique air currents that accompany the clouds.

(Image: Flickr)