Nature is capable of creating spectacles that defy our imagination. Some phenomena are so rare and extraordinary that they look like movie special effects — but they are completely real.
From mysterious lights in the sky to impossible cloud formations, these are the 15 rarest and most impressive natural phenomena on the planet. Some you may be lucky enough to witness; others, only a fraction of humanity has ever seen.
1. Ball Lightning
The Most Mysterious Phenomenon
For centuries, reports of floating "balls of light" during storms were dismissed as hallucination or folklore. Until science finally confirmed: ball lightning is real.
What they are:
Luminous spheres that appear during electrical storms, float through the air for several seconds, and disappear — sometimes with an explosion.
Documented characteristics:
- Diameter: 1 cm to 1 meter (most common: 10-30 cm)
- Duration: 1 second to several minutes
- Colors: white, yellow, orange, blue, green
- Behavior: float, pass through walls, follow metallic objects
The mystery:
Despite being confirmed, ball lightning is still not fully understood. Theories include:
- Vaporized silicon plasma from the ground
- Chemical reactions in ionized air
- Trapped natural microwaves
Historical record:
In 2012, Chinese scientists accidentally filmed ball lightning during storm research. It was the first scientific recording of the phenomenon.
2. Lenticular Clouds
Natural Flying Saucers
These disc or lens-shaped clouds are so perfect that they are frequently mistaken for UFOs.
How they form:
When strong wind meets a mountain or obstacle, it creates air waves. If there's enough moisture, clouds form at the peaks of these waves, creating stationary and perfectly symmetrical shapes.
Characteristics:
- Remain stationary even in strong wind
- Can stack in multiple layers
- Extremely defined edges
- Often glow at sunset
Where to see:
- Mount Fuji (Japan)
- Patagonia (Argentina/Chile)
- Sierra Nevada (USA)
- Alps (Europe)
Curiosity:
Pilots avoid lenticular clouds — they indicate severe turbulence.
3. St. Elmo's Fire
Ghostly Flames
Imagine being on a ship during a storm and seeing blue flames dancing on the masts — without burning anything. This is St. Elmo's Fire.
What it is:
A luminous electrical discharge (plasma) that occurs on pointed objects during storms.
Where it appears:
- Ship masts
- Airplane wings
- Towers and antennas
- Cattle horns (yes, really)
- Fingertips of mountaineers
Science:
It's a form of corona discharge — the intense electric field ionizes the air, creating luminous plasma. It's not dangerous by itself, but indicates lightning risk.
4. Light Pillars
Celestial Columns
On very cold nights, vertical columns of light seem to rise from the horizon to the sky, as if giant spotlights were pointing at the stars.
How they form:
Flat ice crystals floating in the air reflect light from terrestrial sources (streetlights, headlights, moon, sun) creating vertical columns.
Conditions needed:
- Temperature below -20°C
- Calm air (no wind)
- Suspended ice crystals
- Intense light source
Where to see:
- Canada
- Russia
- Scandinavia
- Northern USA
5. Sprites and Blue Jets
Space Lightning
Above storms, where planes don't fly and satellites don't reach, gigantic electrical discharges occur that were only confirmed in 1989.
Sprites:
- Red/orange discharges above storms
- Reach 80-90 km altitude
- Last milliseconds
- Can be 50 km wide
Blue Jets:
- Fire upward from the top of clouds
- Intense blue color
- Reach 40-50 km
- Rarer than sprites
Giant Jets:
- Combination of blue jet and sprite
- Connect clouds to the ionosphere
- Extremely rare
6. Aurora Borealis and Australis
The Cosmic Light Show
Auroras are perhaps the most spectacular natural phenomenon a human can witness.
How they work:
Charged particles from the Sun (solar wind) collide with gases in Earth's atmosphere, making them glow.
Colors and altitudes:
- Green (most common): oxygen at 100-300 km
- Red: oxygen above 300 km
- Blue/purple: nitrogen below 100 km
- Pink: mix of colors
Best locations (Aurora Borealis):
- Norway (Tromsø)
- Iceland
- Finland (Lapland)
- Canada (Yukon)
- Alaska
Best locations (Aurora Australis):
- Tasmania (Australia)
- New Zealand (South Island)
- Antarctica
7. Bioluminescent Red Tide
The Glowing Sea
During the day, the water appears red or brown. At night, every breaking wave explodes in neon blue light.
What causes it:
Massive proliferation of dinoflagellates — microscopic organisms that produce light when agitated.
The spectacle:
- Waves glow in electric blue
- Footprints in wet sand light up
- Fish leave luminous trails
- Boats create trails of light
Where to see:
- San Diego, California (spring)
- Puerto Rico (Bioluminescent Bay)
- Maldives
- Australia (Gippsland Lakes)
8. Mammatus Clouds
Pouches in the Sky
After severe storms, the sky can transform into a ceiling of hanging pouches — mammatus clouds.
Formation:
Cold, dense air sinks through warmer air, creating rounded pouches at the base of clouds.
Characteristics:
- Appear after storms (not during)
- Indicate the worst has passed
- Can cover hundreds of km²
- Typically last 10-15 minutes
Colors:
At sunset, mammatus can glow in orange, pink, and gold — one of nature's most photogenic spectacles.
9. Fire Rainbow (Circumhorizontal Arc)
The Horizontal Rainbow
It's not a regular rainbow — it's a horizontal band of colors that seems to float in the sky.
Conditions needed:
- Sun very high (above 58°)
- Cirrus clouds with ice crystals
- Crystals aligned horizontally
Where to see:
- More common at mid-latitudes
- Summer (sun is higher)
- Rare at high latitudes (sun never rises high enough)
10. Penitentes
Ice Forest
At high elevations in the Andes, snow fields transform into forests of ice blades pointing toward the sky.
What they are:
Snow/ice formations in the shape of blades or cones, ranging from centimeters to 5 meters tall.
How they form:
Differential sublimation — ice passes directly to vapor in some areas, creating depressions that deepen.
Space curiosity:
Similar structures have been identified on Pluto, suggesting sublimation processes on other worlds.
11. Volcanic Lightning
Lightning in Lava
During intense volcanic eruptions, lightning can cross the ash column — one of nature's most dramatic spectacles.
How it happens:
Colliding ash particles generate static electricity. When the charge accumulates enough, it discharges as lightning.
Famous volcanoes for this:
- Eyjafjallajökull (Iceland, 2010)
- Calbuco (Chile, 2015)
- Taal (Philippines, 2020)
12. Ice Circles
Spinning Discs
In cold water rivers, perfect ice discs can form and slowly rotate — as if placed there by aliens.
Formation:
- Ice forms in calm water area
- Circular current (whirlpool) shapes the ice
- Friction with surrounding water creates smooth edges
- Disc slowly rotates in place
Sizes:
From a few centimeters to more than 90 meters in diameter.
Famous case:
In 2019, a 90-meter ice disc in Maine (USA) became a tourist attraction and went viral online.
13. Asperitas Clouds
The Apocalypse Sky
Officially recognized only in 2017, asperitas clouds look like a churning sea in the sky.
Appearance:
- Chaotic undulations
- Look like ocean waves seen from below
- Constant and disturbing movement
- Often dark and threatening
History:
They were the first addition to the International Cloud Atlas in more than 50 years.
14. Brinicle (Finger of Death)
Killer Ice
Under Arctic and Antarctic ice, columns of ice slowly descend toward the sea floor, freezing everything in their path.
How it forms:
- Seawater freezes, expelling salt
- Super-cooled brine (-20°C) sinks
- Surrounding seawater freezes on contact
- Ice tube grows downward
Effect:
When it reaches the bottom, the brine spreads, freezing starfish, sea urchins, and other animals too slow to escape.
Documentation:
First filmed by the BBC in 2011 for the documentary "Frozen Planet."
15. Fire Whirls
Flame Tornadoes
During intense fires, columns of fire can form and spin like tornadoes — reaching temperatures of 1,000°C.
Formation:
- Intense fire heats the air
- Hot air rises rapidly
- Surrounding air is pulled in, creating rotation
- Fire is channeled into the spinning column
Characteristics:
- Can reach 30-60 meters in height
- Internal winds of 160+ km/h
- Can uproot trees and launch debris
- Extremely dangerous for firefighters
Notable cases:
- Great Tokyo Fire (1923): fire whirls killed 38,000 people
- Carr Fire, California (2018): "firenado" with 230 km/h winds
How to Witness These Phenomena
Planning
Aurora Borealis:
- Best time: September-March
- Best locations: Norway, Iceland, Canada
- Forecast apps: Aurora Forecast, My Aurora Forecast
Lenticular Clouds:
- Look for isolated mountains
- Days with strong wind at altitude
- Best at sunrise/sunset
Bioluminescence:
- Research dinoflagellate "blooms"
- Moonless nights
- Beaches with little light pollution
Photography
Basic equipment:
- Camera with manual mode
- Stable tripod
- Wide-angle lens
- Remote control or timer
Typical settings:
- ISO: 1600-6400
- Aperture: f/2.8 or wider
- Exposure: 10-30 seconds
- Manual focus at infinity
Conclusion
These 15 phenomena remind us that nature is capable of creating spectacles that surpass any Hollywood special effect. Some are explained by science; others still hold mysteries.
What they all have in common: they are reminders that we live on an extraordinary planet, where physical and chemical forces combine to create beauty and terror in equal measure.
If you're lucky enough to witness any of these phenomena, stop. Observe. Photograph if you can. Because you'll be witnessing something that most people will only ever see in photos.
Sources: NASA Earth Observatory, National Geographic, NOAA, World Meteorological Organization, Nature Journal. Updated February 2026.
