The mystery of clouds - Printable Version +- Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum (https://www.scivillage.com) +-- Forum: Science (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-61.html) +--- Forum: Meteorology & Climatology (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-72.html) +--- Thread: The mystery of clouds (/thread-20414.html)

The mystery of clouds - Magical Realist - May 12, 2026 Rationally speaking, a cloud is something that shouldn't exist. While made of matter, they have no defined shape. They are only made up of innumerable discrete droplets of transparent water that are constantly condensing and reevaporating into the air, more like pixels than like particles. They weigh on average a million tons and yet float effortlessly with the wind. And planes can fly thru them like they were mere phantoms. And yet there they are, often looming darkly and dangerously over us and threatening to destroy us and our homes. Clouds are an example of a kind of thing that can come to exist less because of what came before and more because of what is possible. Some call this emergent phenomena. Others prefer the word miracles.Whatever they are, they seem to have no problem happening. Titanic hybrids of charged air and water. Gigantic amorphous presences overshadowing our meager lives and wrathfully correcting the energetic imbalances of our lopsided world. "Honey comb" effect of stratus clouds based on mathematics: https://cires.colorado.edu/news/clouds-honeycomb