WASHINGTON — Are the clouds sending us an ominous, cryptic message? Scientists say they identified the word “GO” formed by cloud patterns on Friday, with some believing it even spelled out “GOD,” though it’s a bit harder to see.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) spotted the phenomenon off the coast of Chile using their GOES-East satellite. At the time, they thought there was just a single letter.
“While we’re happy it’s Friday, NOAA satellites never rest, keeping a constant and vigilant watch over Earth’s weather. We were surprised to see this interesting pattern in the marine stratocumulus clouds off the coast of Chile today, that appears to form the letter ‘G’.”
However, further inspection revealed two letters, with NOAA adding: “If you zoom in on this imagery, which was captured via the GOES-East️, the clouds seem to form the word ‘GO’.”
But some online users went further and suggested they could spot a third letter, which perhaps hinted at a higher power at work. One user named Anthony commented: “Zoom in more it spells GOD.” Another follower, Dave Burns, wrote: “actually, there’s a D on the end. God is just signing His name.”
The experience of seeing recognizable items in unexpected places is known as pareidolia. It’s defined as the tendency for perception to impose a meaningful interpretation so that one sees an object, pattern, or meaning where there is none.
NOAA is an American scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditions.
Report by Dean Murray, South West News Service