Landsat 8 satellite captured the lenticular cloud in the suburb of Dunedin, Otago, the South Island of New Zealand.
Lenticular clouds are stationary clouds that form mostly in the troposphere, typically in parallel alignment to the wind direction. They are often comparable in appearance to a lens or saucer. This type of cloud forms when prevailing winds encounter a topographic barrier, such as a mountain range. Wind that is forced to flow up and over the mountains creates a kind of wave in the atmosphere. Air cools at the crest of the wave, and the water vapor it contains condenses into clouds. This image, known locally as the “Taieri Pet,” is a product of the particular weather patterns and topography on the southern part of New Zealand’s South Island.
The local scenery on the ground is as follows.
Reference: NASA Earth’s Tweet
See earthview photo gallery: LiVEARTH