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Fire rainbows -

A misnomer, these are not rainbows nor are they caused by fire. These colorful arcs are created by the refraction of sunlight in ice crystals in cirrus clouds.

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Bioluminescent waves -

Imagine oceans glowing blue at night as if stars have descended into the water. This magical sight is caused by marine microbes called phytoplankton, lighting up when disturbed by waves or currents.

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Great Blue Hole, Belize -

A giant marine sinkhole off the coast of Belize, the Great Blue Hole is a diver's dream. Its deep blue waters and diverse marine life create an otherworldly underwater experience.

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Migration of the monarch butterflies -

Each year, millions of monarch butterflies journey over 3,000 miles from North America to Mexico, a mesmerizing aerial ballet of orange and black.

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Rainbow Mountains, China -

The Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park boasts mountains in stripes of red, yellow, and orange. These colors result from mineral deposits and erosion over millions of years. 

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Door to Hell, Turkmenistan -

A fiery pit in the Turkmen desert, this burning natural gas crater has been alight since 1971, creating a surreal scene, especially at night.

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Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia -

After rainfall, this vast salt flat becomes the world's largest natural mirror, reflecting the sky in a perfect, unbroken expanse, blurring the line between earth and heaven.

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Waitomo Glowworm Caves, New Zealand -

A subterranean wonder, these caves are lit by thousands of glowworms, creating a starry effect on the cave ceilings.

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Underwater Waterfall, Mauritius -

An optical illusion off the coast of Mauritius, where sand and silt on the ocean floor create the appearance of an underwater waterfall.

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Volcanic lightning -

During volcanic eruptions, lightning can strike within the ash cloud, creating a dramatic and powerful natural light show.

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Catatumbo lightning, Venezuela -

A unique meteorological phenomenon with an almost continuous lightning storm, occurring over the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it empties into Lake Maracaibo.

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Red tides -

Algal blooms, known as red tides, turn coastal waters red, creating a striking, although often toxic, natural event.

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Supercell thunderstorms -

Towering and isolated, these storm systems are known for their ominous appearance and potential to spawn tornadoes.

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Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) -

Vivid curtains of green, purple, and pink light dance across the Arctic sky, creating a mesmerizing celestial display. This phenomenon results from solar winds interacting with Earth's magnetic field.

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Mammatus clouds -

Unique, pouch-like cloud formations, often appearing after severe weather, create a stunning and somewhat unsettling sky.

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Halos -

Rings or arcs of light around the sun or moon are caused by the refraction of light through ice crystals in the atmosphere, creating a celestial spectacle.

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Horsetail Fall Firefall, Yosemite -

For a few days in February, if conditions are just right, the setting sun illuminates Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park, making it glow like flowing lava—a truly breathtaking sight.

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Sun dogs -

Bright spots appear on either side of the sun, caused by the refraction of sunlight through ice crystals, resembling two additional suns in the sky. They're known as parhelia or sun dogs. 

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Lenticular clouds -

Often mistaken for UFOs, these saucer-shaped clouds form when air flows over mountains, creating a distinctive and otherworldly appearance.

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Frost flowers -

Delicate ice structures that form on frozen plant stem ls, looking like a field of white flowers blooming in the coldest of conditions.

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Morning glory clouds, Australia -

A rare meteorological phenomenon, these long, tubular clouds can stretch up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), often appearing at dawn in Northern Australia.

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Light pillars -

Light pillars are vertical columns of light extending upward from the ground, an optical phenomenon created by the reflection of light from ice crystals with near-horizontal parallel planar surfaces.

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Penitentes, South America -

These sharp blades of hardened snow or ice are found at high altitudes. They're shaped by the sun's rays, creating a jagged landscape.

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The Wave, Arizona -

A dreamlike world of undulating rock formations, with stripes of red, pink, and yellow sandstone. This surreal, wave-like landscape is a geological marvel, sculpted by wind and rain over millions of years.

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Columnar basalt formations -

These hexagonal basalt columns are a natural architectural wonder, formed by the cooling of thick lava flows. The Devil's Tower in the USA is a prime example.

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Fairy circles, Namibia -

Mystical, almost perfectly circular patches devoid of vegetation in the Namib Desert. Theories suggest termite activity or vegetation self-organizing, but their true origin remains a delightful mystery.

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Frozen methane bubbles, Canada -

In Alberta's lakes, trapped methane gas freezes in winter, creating surreal, bubble-filled ice surfaces.

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Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland -

An area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption, forms a pathway fit for mythical giants.

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Socotra dragon trees -

Native to the Socotra archipelago, these umbrella-shaped trees have a distinctly alien appearance. The red sap they secrete, known as "dragon's blood," adds to their mystical allure.

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Starling murmuration -

Witnessing thousands of starlings moving in unison in the sky is a spectacular sight. These murmurations create fluid, dynamic patterns, showcasing nature's incredible ability to coordinate complex group behaviors.

Sources: (Pick Your Trail) (BuzzFeed) 

See also: Stunning nature photographs that look like paintings

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