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Clouds That Look Like Things: From the Cloud Appreciation Society
This title is a feast for all cloud-appreciators with a sense of humour. The book provides a collection of photos of clouds in the shape of surprising things.
- GenresNonfiction
112 pages, Hardcover
First published April 12, 2012
30 people want to read
About the author
Gavin Pretor-Pinney
22 books67 followersGavin Pretor-Pinney is cofounder of The Idler magazine in England and founded of The Cloud Appreciation Society in 2005.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 31, 2022
Loved this little book of pictures of crazy-looking clouds sent by people from around the globe who are members of the "Cloud Appreciation Society" (didn't know such a society existed before I read this book, but will now definitely apply to join). It's remarkable the kinds of shapes clouds can take, if you happen to be at the right place at the right time and are observant and curious enough to discern the fleeting shape. Everything from dolphins, sharks, wolves and bunnies to the Three Musketeers, Andy Murray (while serving an ace) and Mick Jagger's lips have been observed in the troposphere and stratosphere. Goes to show how much we miss by keeping busy looking down at our screens instead of looking up :)
At the end of this fascinating gallery of cloud oddities is a very good layman's explanation of what clouds are, how they form, how they take on their multifarious shapes and (most interestingly) what their scientific names are. There are actually hundreds of different kinds of clouds that scientists have classified but the 13 main types worth remembering are:
*1-11 form in the troposphere
Low clouds (0-5000 ft):
1. Cumulus (the traditional, clumpy shape we see on a clear day and which we draw in drawings)
2. Stratocumulus (a sheet-like layer made of clumps)
3. Stratus (a featureless sheet)
4. Fog (this is also nothing but a cloud, only at ground-level)
Mid-level clouds (5000-25000 ft):
5. Altocumulus (clumps again, but higher)
6. Altostratus (sheet again, but higher)
High clouds (25000-65000):
7. Cirrus (translucent, wavy streaks)
8. Cirrocumulus (clumps so high they appear like small grains)
9. Cirrostratus (a translucent, featureless blanket)
Multi-level clouds:
10. Cumulonimbus (the massive, dark, anvil-shaped storm clouds that pour down cats and dogs)
11. Nimbostratus (thick, gray, featureless blanket that create prolonged rain or snow)
Very, very high clouds:
12. Nacreous clouds (form in the stratosphere at 49000-82000 ft and can take various interesting shapes)
13. Noctilucent clouds (ripple-like shape, so high they are in the mesosphere, beyond the stratosphere, at altitudes around 250000+ ft)
Message of the book: keep looking up (except while crossing the road)!
At the end of this fascinating gallery of cloud oddities is a very good layman's explanation of what clouds are, how they form, how they take on their multifarious shapes and (most interestingly) what their scientific names are. There are actually hundreds of different kinds of clouds that scientists have classified but the 13 main types worth remembering are:
*1-11 form in the troposphere
Low clouds (0-5000 ft):
1. Cumulus (the traditional, clumpy shape we see on a clear day and which we draw in drawings)
2. Stratocumulus (a sheet-like layer made of clumps)
3. Stratus (a featureless sheet)
4. Fog (this is also nothing but a cloud, only at ground-level)
Mid-level clouds (5000-25000 ft):
5. Altocumulus (clumps again, but higher)
6. Altostratus (sheet again, but higher)
High clouds (25000-65000):
7. Cirrus (translucent, wavy streaks)
8. Cirrocumulus (clumps so high they appear like small grains)
9. Cirrostratus (a translucent, featureless blanket)
Multi-level clouds:
10. Cumulonimbus (the massive, dark, anvil-shaped storm clouds that pour down cats and dogs)
11. Nimbostratus (thick, gray, featureless blanket that create prolonged rain or snow)
Very, very high clouds:
12. Nacreous clouds (form in the stratosphere at 49000-82000 ft and can take various interesting shapes)
13. Noctilucent clouds (ripple-like shape, so high they are in the mesosphere, beyond the stratosphere, at altitudes around 250000+ ft)
Message of the book: keep looking up (except while crossing the road)!
June 19, 2012
This is really cool! There are few in here where I went "I can't see it"... It's not jkust pretty pictures though - there is a section at the back about clouds, names, how they are formed etc. which is as nice bit of education. My favourites were the "Animals' and 'Weird and Wonderful'. Great book!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews