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The term cloud describes water droplets, ice crystals, and other particles suspended in the Earth’s upper atmosphere where we can see them.
They’re studied by scientists called nephrologists.
According to the UK’s Met Office, NASA’s Earth Observatory estimates that at any given time roughly 67% of the planet is covered in clouds.
They form when warm, moist air rises and later cools higher in the atmosphere.
This vapor condenses on microscopic dust particles, much like the moisture that collects on the outside of a cold glass of water on a hot day.
Depending on the temperature, this process results in tiny water droplets or ice crystals.
Clouds appear white because they reflect and scatter sunlight as it passes through them.
If the clouds get thick enough or there are lots of separate clouds around, they can block the light and create a darker, grey appearance.
Clouds can hold millions of litres of water, transporting the moisture across vast distances, before depositing it elsewhere in the form of rain, snow, hail, or sleet.
This process of water evaporating, condensing, and falling again is known as the water cycle.
All that moisture means clouds can weigh hundreds of thousands of kilograms!
Despite this weight, however, they can really move!
When caught in the jet stream, a cloud can move at more than 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour! Even big, moisture-rich thunderstorms can move at speeds of 48 kilometers (roughly 30 miles) per hour!
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$26.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
$26.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
$26.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
