Several people across the country were treated to views of the colourful nacreous clouds.
Residents across Scotland witnessed a rare, natural light show with shimmering rainbow clouds in the sky. Several people across the country were treated to views of the colourful nacreous clouds.
According to Newsweek, the rare view was captured on camera near Nairn Beach on Christmas Eve, shortly after sunrise around 9 am by Joshua Earle, a 29-year-old photographer.
Mr Earle shared a video of the sighting on his Instagram account and wrote, "These incredible clouds have been appearing across the UK this week. This video was taken near Nairn Beach at around 9:00 am this morning. I still can't wrap my head around what I'm seeing! Nature is simply amazing."
He added, "Also known as Nacreous, Mother of Pearl or Polar Stratospheric Clouds, this strange phenomenon is caused by high arctic clouds that contain tiny ice crystals that refract the sunlight. It's worth keeping an eye out at sunrise and sunset this weekend if you're in the UK. You might just spot a rainbow cloud!"
See the video here:
He told Newsweek: "It was incredible on that morning. The horizon was full of these clouds and was more vibrant than before. Shimmering rainbows in the clouds.
"This was the first time I've seen these clouds but, funnily enough, they have appeared three or four times in the week leading up to the 24th," the photographer noted.
Since being posted, the video has amassed over 3.8 million views on Instagram and 272,000 likes.
Commenting on the video, a user wrote, "They're called Polar Stratospheric Clouds. Now people saying they lived for years on this planet and thought they knew everything can start reading and learning..."
Another user wrote, "Not rare!! Chemtrail chemicals in our air!"
"My son passed away a few months ago and he's been painting the sky for your enjoyment ever since," the third user wrote.