There are three types of cloud forms in this group, the Cirrus
Cirrus cloud
Cirrus is a genus of atmospheric cloud generally characterized by thin, wispy strands, giving the type its name from the Latin word cirrus, meaning a ringlet or curling lock of hair. This cloud can form at any altitude between 16,500 ft and 45,000 ft above sea level. The strands of cloud sometime…
How do clouds form?
How Do Clouds Form? The sky can be full of water. But most of the time you can't see the water. The drops of water are too small to see. They have turned into a gas called water vapor. As the water vapor goes higher in the sky, the air gets cooler.
Why do clouds have different shapes?
You may not know it, but there’s actually a science behind the cloud shapes you see. For instance, flat-bottom clouds exist because it marks the boundary where water vapor condenses. To further explain this and why clouds have different shapes, we first need to go back to our middle school science lessons and get a recap on the water cycle.
Can clouds form rows in the sky?
Clouds can form rows in the sky. NASA uses satellites to study clouds from above. Clouds are made of round water droplets. This article is part of the NASA Knows!
What are some interesting facts about clouds?
Clouds can take on all sorts of shapes and sizes, ranging from thin wispy clouds (cirrus) to large, dark menacing clouds (cumulonimbus). While there are several factors that influence and affect the formation of clouds, the sun plays a major role in producing clouds. Clouds are part of the Earth's water cycle.
Why do clouds move and change shape?
The shapes of clouds are ever-changing thanks to the processes of condensation and evaporation. After a cloud forms, condensation doesn't stop. This is why we sometimes notice clouds expanding into the neighboring sky.
What holds a cloud together?
If the surrounding air has a low humidity, the water droplets or ice crystals that make up the cloud quickly evaporate as the cloudy air mixes with its surroundings; this results in the cloud maintaining a sharp boundary. "Proximity also has a big effect on how well defined a cloud appears.
What are the 4 ways that clouds can be form?
Clouds Form in Different Ways As it rises, its pressure and temperature drop causing water vapor to condense. Eventually, enough moisture will condense out of the air to form a cloud. Several types of clouds form in this way including cumulus, cumulonimbus, mammatus, and stratocumulus clouds.
Why do clouds not change shape?
The same air that flows along the foothills flows over the peaks, and yet it only forms clouds over the peaks. So clouds roughly hold their shape (for a little while) because it takes time for the humidity or temperature to change, or for the cloud to be twisted up by local air currents.
Why do clouds not fall to the ground?
Clouds are composed primarily of small water droplets and, if it's cold enough, ice crystals. The vast majority of clouds you see contain droplets and/or crystals that are too small to have any appreciable fall velocity. So the particles continue to float with the surrounding air.
Can we sit on a cloud?
Clouds are made of millions of these tiny liquid water droplets. The droplets scatter the colors of the sunlight equally, which makes clouds appear white. Even though they can look like cushy puffballs, a cloud can't support your weight or hold anything up but itself.
How are clouds formed short answer?
The Short Answer: Clouds are created when water vapor, an invisible gas, turns into liquid water droplets. These water droplets form on tiny particles, like dust, that are floating in the air. You hang up a wet towel and, when you come back, it's dry.
Can it rain without clouds?
Because rain forms when droplets of condensed moisture grow large enough to descend quickly into the air, their absence can make it impossible for rain to occur. That means if there are no clouds overhead, rain cannot happen as well.
Where do clouds go at night?
0:462:24Do the clouds disappear at night...and why? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe ground the the warmth then Rises. And those bubbles of rising air come in and cause those cloudsMoreThe ground the the warmth then Rises. And those bubbles of rising air come in and cause those clouds to form but when you take the warming away from the Sun these clouds will disappear.
Is it possible to move clouds?
Clouds are lighter and can be moved by the speed of the wind. As wind occurs at all levels of the atmosphere, it is quite easy to move the clouds. Often there is no wind on the ground, but the cirrus clouds are high and can be seen moving due to the wind present at that level of atmosphere.
Do clouds actually move?
Clouds move in response to the local winds. Although the air immediately around you may be still, the winds are far stronger thousands of metres higher up. That is why clouds are usually in motion, even on apparently windless days. But part of a cloud's motion is indeed governed by Earth's rotation.
How long does it take to form a cloud?
In a thunderstorm, warm air moving up can form into a cloud in less than one minute. Other types of clouds, located very high in the atmosphere and made mostly of ice, can take minutes to hours to form depending on how fast the air moves up.
What causes clouds to form?
This process is called evaporation and it's the start of how clouds are formed. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Alex Novati.
What are the particles that make up clouds?
Dust and other particles floating in the air provide surfaces for water vapor to turn into water drops or ice crystals. The tiny drops of water condense on the particles to form cloud droplets. Clouds are made up of a bunch of cloud droplets bundled together with raindrops. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Alex Novati.
What is condensation in the air?
Condensation happens with the help of tiny particles floating around in the air, such as du st, salt crystals from sea spray, bacteria or even ash from volcanoes. Those particles provide surfaces on which water vapor can change into liquid droplets or ice crystals. A large accumulation of such droplets or ice crystals is a cloud.
What satellite captured the image of clouds over the Southern Indian Ocean?
A camera on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of clouds over the Southern Indian Ocean. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. You hang up a wet towel and, when you come back, it’s dry. You set out a bowl of water for your dog and when you look again, the water level in the bowl has dropped even though Woofy has been nowhere near the bowl.
What are the instruments used to study clouds?
Scientists are working to increase their understanding, with the help of instruments such as those on NASA ’s Terra, Aqua, Aura, CALIPSO, CloudSat and other satellites that observe different aspects of clouds. NASA has a fleet of spacecraft that orbit Earth, called satellites. Many of them study clouds, weather, climate and more.
How much water vapor can an air hold?
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Alex Novati. The air can only hold a certain amount of water vapor, depending on the temperature and weight of the air – or atmospheric pressure – in a given area. The higher the temperature or atmospheric pressure, the more water vapor the air can hold. When a certain volume of air is holding all ...
How does water change into gas?
Liquid water changes into a gas when water molecules get extra energy from a heat source such as the Sun or from other water molecules running into them. These energetic molecules then escape from the liquid water in the form of gas.
Why does a cloud form?
As you are willing to know about how do clouds form, you must also know why the clouds form. A simple answer can be that clouds are formed when the air cannot hold any water droplets further. The saturated air is a result of two reasons:
Types of Clouds
You must have seen various patterns of clouds floating in the sky? Well, each type of cloud has its nature, shape, and color. They are classified into many types for understanding them in a better way. To know how do clouds form you must also know about the types which will help you to understand cloud formation.
Steps of cloud formation – Know how do clouds form
Clouds are formed as a part of the earth’s water cycle. To know how do clouds form you should learn about the steps involved in their formation. However, you should also remember that clouds are formed naturally and are made up of billions and billions of water particles. The steps of cloud formation are:
Why do clouds form?
The rain cloud appears black or gray. Clouds form when air becomes saturate d, or filled, with water vapor. Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air, so lowering the temperature of an air mass is like squeezing a sponge. Clouds are the visible result of that squeeze of cooler, moist air.
Why do scientists think there are water clouds?
Scientists think there may be water clouds because bursts of lightning have been spotted in Jupiter’s atmosphere. Interstellar cloud s, which exist in the space between planet s and stars, are not really clouds at all. Interstellar clouds are areas where gas es and plasma are dense and, sometimes, visible.
Why do clouds turn white when it rains?
When it’s about to rain, clouds darken because the water vapor is clumping together into raindrop s, leaving larger spaces between drops of water. Less light is reflected. The rain cloud appears black or gray.
What is the visible result of that squeeze of cooler, moist air?
Clouds are the visible result of that squeeze of cooler, moist air. Moist air becomes cloudy with only slight cooling. With further cooling, the water or ice particle s that make up the cloud can grow into bigger particles that fall to Earth as precipitation. Types of Clouds.
How high are cirrus clouds?
They are found high in the atmosphere—typically higher than 6,000 meters (20,000 feet)— and are usually made of ice crystals. Cirrus clouds usually signal clear, fair weather. Their shape often indicates the direction the wind is blowing high in the atmosphere. Stratus clouds are horizontal and stratified, or layered.
What is a thin, high altitude cloud?
thin, high-altitude cloud. to identify or arrange by specific type or characteristic. visible mass of tiny water droplets or ice crystals in Earth's atmosphere. microscopic bits of clay, salt, or solid pollutant around which water vapor condenses in clouds to form raindrops.
Why does lightning appear before thunder?
Because the speed of light is faster than the speed of sound, lightning will always appear before its thunder is heard. Meteorologist s measure cloud cover, or the amount of the visible sky covered by clouds, in units called okta s. An okta estimates how many eighths of the sky (octo-) is covered in clouds.
How are clouds named?
Another way clouds are named is by their shape. Cirrus clouds are high clouds. They look like feathers. Cumulus clouds are middle clouds. These clouds look like giant cotton balls in the sky. Stratus clouds are low clouds. They cover the sky like bed sheets.
Why are clouds important?
Clouds are important for many reasons. Rain and snow are two of those reasons. At night, clouds reflect heat and keep the ground warmer. During the day, clouds make shade that can keep us cooler. Studying clouds helps NASA better understand Earth's weather. NASA uses satellites in space to study clouds.
What is NASA's mission to study clouds?
NASA uses satellites in space to study clouds. NASA also studies clouds on other planets. Mars has clouds that are like the clouds on Earth. But other planets have clouds that aren't made of water. For example, Jupiter has clouds made of a gas called ammonia.
What are the clouds that are high up in the sky called?
In fact, low clouds can even touch the ground. These clouds are called fog. Middle clouds are found between low and high clouds. Another way clouds are named is by their shape. Cirrus cloud s are high clouds. They look like feathers.
What causes water to fall to Earth?
When that happens, gravity causes them to fall to Earth. We call the falling water drops "rain.". When the air is colder, the water may form snowflakes instead. Freezing rain, sleet or even hail can fall from clouds.
Why can't we see water?
The drops of water are too small to see. They have turned into a gas called water vapor. As the water vapor goes higher in the sky, the air gets cooler . The cooler air causes the water droplets to start to stick to things like bits of dust, ice or sea salt.
When do cumulus clouds appear?
This is where they get their nickname of "fair weather" clouds. They appear in the late morning, grow, and then disappear toward evening. 02. of 10.
What are the different types of clouds?
According to the World Meteorological Organization's International Cloud Atlas, more than 100 types of clouds exist. The many variations, however, can be grouped into one of 10 basic types depending on their general shape and height in the sky. Thus, the 10 types are: 1 Low-level clouds (cumulus, stratus, stratocumulus) that lie below 6,500 feet (1,981 m) 2 Middle clouds (altocumulus, nimbostratus, altostratus) that form between 6,500 and 20,000 feet (1981–6,096 m) 3 High-level clouds (cirrus, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus) that form above 20,000 feet (6,096 m) 4 Cumulonimbus, which tower across the low, middle, and upper atmosphere
What are the most common clouds in the middle atmosphere?
Altocumulus clouds are the most common clouds in the middle atmosphere. You'll recognize them as white or gray patches that dot the sky in large, rounded masses or clouds that are aligned in parallel bands. They look like the wool of sheep or scales of mackerel fish—hence their nicknames "sheep backs" and "mackerel skies.".
What are the white patches of clouds called?
Cirrocumulus clouds are small, white patches of clouds often arranged in rows that live at high altitudes and are made of ice crystals. Called "cloudlets, " the individual cloud mounds of cirrocumulus are much smaller than that of altocumulus and stratocumulus and often look like grains.
What are cumulonimbus clouds?
Cumulonimbus clouds are one of the few clouds that span the low, middle, and high layers. They resemble the cumulus clouds from which they grow, except they rise into towers with bulging upper portions that look like cauliflower. Cumulonimbus cloud tops are usually always flattened in the shape of an anvil or plume.
How to tell if it's Altocumulus or stratocumulus?
Besides altocumulus being higher up in the sky, another way to tell them apart is by the size of their individual cloud mounds. Place your hand up to the sky and in the direction of the cloud; if the mound is the size of your thumb, it's altocumulus. (If it's closer to fist-size, it's probably stratocumulus.)
What is a low, puffy, grayish or whitish cloud?
Stratocumulus. Danita Delimont/Getty Images. If you took an imaginary knife and spread cumulus clouds together across the sky but not into a smooth layer (like stratus), you'd get stratocumulus—these are low, puffy, grayish or whitish clouds that occur in patches with blue sky visible in between.