Rare 'mother-of-pearl' clouds have been spotted over the country

If you’ve been walking around with your head in the clouds over the last few days, you may have noticed some very pretty, vibrantly coloured ones.

The unusual Northern Lights-like patterns are known as nacreous formations. Also known as ’mother-of-pearl’ clouds, they occur higher up in the atmosphere when temperatures drop to -80C and the small amount of water vapour condenses into fragile clouds.

They are best seen at twilight and at sunrise.