'Carp rising to the sky' - what is the phenomenon of a cloud that looks like a fish down to every detail?

The appearance of a cloud that looks exactly like a fish - down to the smallest detail - surprised many people, even looking at the photo it felt like a collage. People also associated it with the image of ' carp flying to the sky' , which is very popular in Eastern culture. So how can the 'red carp' in the sky be explained?

If you often look up, sometimes you can see strange phenomena in the sky. And you can accidentally take pictures of very strange clouds.

Recently, in the sky of Fuzhou (the capital of Fujian province, China), a cloud appeared that looked exactly like a fish, with fins and tail. The cloud was orange-red in color, with some bright and some dark spots like the shimmering fins of a fish, causing those who saw it to call it 'red carp'.

Beautiful fish-like clouds in Fujian, China. (Photo: Yangyubin).

Many people are impressed by this strange cloud, because the image of 'carp ascending to heaven' is associated with the story of 'carp transforming into dragon' which is still very popular in folklore in Asian countries such as China and Vietnam. In our country, near the Lunar New Year, people often think of the image of 'Mr. Cong and Mr. Tao riding a carp to heaven'.

So why does the red carp cloud appear?

The red-orange color of clouds at sunset is due to light scattering , with only the light with the longest wavelength (red, orange) reaching the observer's eye. The fish shape is random, because in fact, clouds can randomly form any shape.

Rose-shaped clouds in Bursa province, Türkiye, early one morning early last year. (Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images).

Early last year, giant fish-shaped white clouds appeared in the sky over Wuyi, Zhejiang Province, China, with their fins clearly visible. The 'fish fin' phenomenon in the sky is usually caused by rows of cirrocumulus or altocumulus clouds , creating a regular wavy pattern that looks very much like a fish's fin, and is sometimes called 'mackerel skies ', according to the UK's Meteorological Office.

Here is the video of 'giant fish' in the sky of Zhejiang (China):

In the folklore of many Asian countries, the image of carp is associated with success, peace, and prosperity. Therefore, seeing carp-shaped clouds at exam time or at the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year is always considered a good omen. In August this year, red carp-shaped clouds were also seen in the sky of Thai Binh province in our country.