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It’s a mystery that’s baffled people for years: Why have dozens of ships and planes disappeared in the notorious Bermuda Triangle?

The answer may lie in the clouds.

According to The Sun, strange clouds that form above the Bermuda Triangle may be linked to 170-mph “air bombs” that have the power to bring down planes and ships.

4 Fast Facts

  • Over the years, planes and ships have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle
  • The area is located between Miami, Puerto Rico and Bermuda
  • Meteorologists believe powerful burst of air could bring down ships and planes
  • The bursts may be as powerful as a Category 5 hurricane

The findings came to light thanks to the Science Channel’s “What on Earth” series. Meteorologists studied the Bermuda Triangle—located between Miami, Puerto Rico and Bermuda—in an effort to find out how it got its sinister reputation.

They used satellite imagery to find hexagon-shaped clouds between 20 and 50 miles wide forming over the water.

“The satellite imagery is really bizarre … the hexagonal shapes of the cloud formations,” said meteorologist Dr. Randy Cerveny. “These types of hexagonal shapes in the ocean are in essence air bombs. They’re formed by what is called microbursts and they’re blasts of air.”

Those blasts are capable of reaching 170 mph—making them as powerful as a Category 5 Hurricane—and could bring down planes and topple ships.

It could be the answer to a question that’s long captured the attention of people around the world.