The Magic of Clouds Explained in Science & Photography

I read something that said if a geek wants to know the weather, he or she looks up the forecast on the Internet instead of walking outside and looking up at the sky. I am a geek, and it’s true, I often look up the weather online. However, I never want to lose touch with nature or the outdoors, so I’ve been making a specific effort lately to look up into the sky when I’m outside.

Have you done that recently? Have you really looked at the moon at night or the clouds during the day? It’s fascinating. I can’t believe I went for so long taking that for granted. It got me thinking about those great big puffy clouds, and what they really are. I mean, how much do they weigh? What are they made of?

According to WGGB and Passport to Knowledge, “When warm, wet air rises, it cools, and water vapor condenses out to form clouds. The clouds are made up of all those water droplets, which form on tiny particles of dust, salt and pollution in the air.” When the water gets very heavy, gravity pulls it to the ground, which is what we know as rain. As far as how much a cloud weighs, well, that depends on its density. It could contain water or ice, or both, which all weigh different amounts. Cool, huh?

I found some very interesting cloud photography to share with you. The photographer obviously had some fun positioning objects in just the right place to create an interesting perspective. How fun! Unfortunately, I can’t find the photographers name, so I don’t know whom to credit for this. If you have that info, let us know!

“Clouds are like boogers hanging on the nostrils of the moon.” ~Robin Williams

[via Pickchur]