noctilucent

In a sentence.

1. 01

   Noctilucent clouds shimmered above the dark horizon.

2. 02

   We waited until the noctilucent streaks faded from the northern sky.

Where it came from.

Noctilucent joins nocti-, from Latin for ‘night,’ with lucent, ‘shining.’ The name says exactly what the clouds appear to do.

Why it’s interesting.

These clouds remain sunlit high above Earth after the ground has gone dark, making ‘night shining’ feel almost literal.