A distinctive and rare cloud formation has been spotted above Coatbridge.
Herald Deputy Picture Editor Damian Shields snapped images of colourful nacreous clouds on Thursday December 21.
Nacreous clouds are rare, and are distinctive for the coloured light they reflect just after sunset and just before sunrise.
They form in the lower stratosphere in polar regions when the sun is just below the horizon, with small ice particles refracting the light and giving a luminescent appearance.
The clouds can only form at temperatures below -78°C so are most likely to occur during the polar winter.
They are usually only visible in the UK when the cold air in the stratosphere is displaced from polar regions and hovers temporarily over the UK.
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