WATCH: Your pictures of the stunning rainbow clouds

So when it came to yesterday's "rainbow" clouds (proper name, nacreous clouds or polar stratospheric clouds) we were truly spoilt for choice.

You came in your dozens with gorgeous pictures capturing the palette of colours spread across the skies - and armed with questions of what caused the phenomenon.

The Met Office reported that nacreous clouds form in the lower stratosphere over polar regions when the sun is just below the horizon.

The clouds are illuminated from below and often glow in vivid colours, creating a mother of pearl look. They will often remain visible for a couple of hours after sunset and through the night as they are lit by moonlight.

They usually form below temperatures of -78 C, and are most frequently seen during the polar winter.

We have truly been treated to some beautiful shots taken by all of you, and have created a short film using more than 60 of them.

Thank you to the following readers who shared their cloud pictures with us.

Katie Flynn, Alec Jones, Christopher Hardy, John Ridley, Jon Michael Matson, Katie Masoodi, Ryan Shaw, Tris Gallagher, Caroline Brown, Claire Taylor, Darren Pounder, David McGrath, Helen Stevenson, Jay Petch, Karen Robinson, Kathryn Sawyer, Lynn Johnson, Neil Sanderson, Pat Foy, Robert Hayes, Sam Gretton, Steven Darby, Tracie-Jayne Consuela Winchurch, James Ronnie Ryan, Jayne Britton, Laurence Younger, Matthew Brown, RGM Photo, Adele Parkes-Hamblin, Casper J, Cassandra ONeill, Catherine Scott, Emma Lauren Foster, Gemma Giles, Gill Roberts, Helen MacDonald, Jackie Ross, Julie Hughes, Karen Whitfield, Kurtis Conteh, Liam McCormick, Linsey Cowell, Lisa Wrightson, Mandy Steel, Mandy Tucker, Michael Bradford, Paula Marshall, Rachel Moorcroft, Stephen Mitchell, Tony Phuprate, Tracey Hill, Tracy Mclean, Tracy ONeil, Vicky Magnus and Simon Woodley.