--- title: "Locals Spotted Something Bizarre in the Sky Over Alaska Mountain" description: "A super weird worm-like cloud photographed in Alaska has locals scratching their heads." date: "2022-04-11" modified: "2022-04-11" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/something-bizarre-alaska-mountain" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "airplanes" - "clouds" - "contrails" - "the digest" --- # Locals Spotted Something Bizarre in the Sky Over Alaska Mountain ![A super weird worm-like cloud photographed in Alaska has locals scratching their heads.]() *\Image: Elisabeth Griesmer Ahlvin\* ## Wormy It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... a really weird contrail? At least, that's the official [explanation from Alaska's Department of Public Safety]() in response to photos of what appears to be a bizarre conic cloud formation over Palmer, AK's Lazy Mountain that caused fears of Russian or even extraterrestrial invasion. The photos of the weird worm-like *thing* [posted to the a local Facebook group]() are, indeed, quite strange. According to the woman who posted them, they were taken around sunrise over a period of about 45 seconds — and according to users in the comments, it's gotten Alaskans pretty freaked out. "You can clearly see the object making the fumes in these photos. That ain't no rocket or plane," one user wrote. "Unless of course it was a plane that broke apart in a free fall.... but hopefully that\['\]s not the case." ![A screenshot of a post by Facebook user Elisabeth Greismer Ahlvin which reads: "7:16am These photos were taken over a 45 second period. I know there's been speculation but has anyone seen anything definitive?" The images feature an unusual cone-shaped cloud formation over a blue sky, with mountains sloping in the background of some of the photos. ]() *Screenshot from the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook group.* ## Boring Explanation While photos of the strange phenomenon [made their way onto right wing]() and [conspiracy websites]() and fueled speculation that the strange apparition could be Russian, Chinese, or extraterrestrial in origin — or even a harbinger of "Biden’s winter of death," whatever that means — the Alaska DPS had a perfectly plausible explanation. "Further investigation revealed that a large commercial jet was flying in that area around the time that the photos and video were taken," the Alaska DPS said in its statement, adding that "troopers believe that the photos and videos showed a contrail from the commercial jet combined with the rising sun which together caused the unique atmospheric sight." ## Precedented While this explanation certainly won't satisfy those convinced th**e** likely contrail is actually a "chemtrail" or CCP rocket come to bring the next pandemic to North America, there's certainly been lots and lots of weird clouds [captured on camera]() over the years. Alaska DPS said they didn't find anything on the wonderfully-named Lazy Mountain, so for now, we'll have to take their explanation at face value — unless you, like Agent Fox Mulder, simply want to believe that it's something weirder than the [bizarro physics of clouds](). **READ MORE:** [Ominous cloud seen over Alaska sparks conspiracies. What’s the official explanation?]() \[*The Bellingham Herald*\] ****More clouds:**** [*Scientists Propose Electrocuting Clouds to Make it Rain*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()