An Iridescent Pileus Cloud over China

Explanation: Yes, but how many dark clouds have a multicolored lining? Pictured, behind this darker cloud, is a pileus iridescent cloud, a group of water droplets that have a uniformly similar size and so together diffract different colors of sunlight by different amounts. The featured image was taken last month in Pu'er, Yunnan Province, China. Also captured were unusual cloud ripples above the pileus cloud. The formation of a rare pileus cloud capping a common cumulus cloud is an indication that the lower cloud is expanding upward and might well develop into a storm.

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There is a massive cluster containing some of the largest and hottest stars known. The stars in the star cluster were captured in two different types of light by the new telescope. The main image shows a group of stars at the center of a large group of stars. The cluster center is captured in mid-infrared light, light close to radio waves. Since R136's stars emit more of their light in the near IR, they are more prominent on the picture. The gas cloud from which the stars formed is being evaporated by the wind and energy of the stars. The details of R136 and its surroundings that have never been seen before are shown in the images released yesterday.