What are Lens Clouds? (Altocumulus lenticularis)
Lens clouds are saucer, lens or lentil-shaped clouds that form when wind blows moist air over mountains. Their formal name is Altocumulus lenticularis (lenticula means…
Tag: clouds
What is a Distrail?
A distrail is the clear path through a cloud formed in the wake of an aircraft. Distrails form because the aircraft turns the water droplets…
Nature’s Clues and Signs – Tarn, France
Here’s my selection following a short visit to friends in the Tarn region of southern France. Stately Homes The older, bigger and grander a building…
I Had to Reach Out
My thanks to Betsy from Corvallis, Oregon, USA, for this email: Hi! I don’t know if the author has time for such small excitements, but…
Why is visibility so good in the mountains?
Many visitors to cold mountains are struck by the amazing visibility. The visibility is so good that it can trick the brain into thinking things…
A Plein-Air Artists’ Manual
One of the great joys of natural navigation is that it intrigues such a wide variety of people, something it shares with food. We can’t…
A Big Green Dew Machine
My thanks to Peter Gibbs for this gem of an email: I thought you might like this observation from today. I’ve been working in the…
What is the Planetary Boundary Layer?
From The Secret World of Weather: The lowest part of the atmosphere is the only area strongly influenced by the sun’s radiative heating of the…
Observing Saturn’s Rings – A Tip
My thanks to Prof. Otta Wenskus for an interesting tip for observing Saturn: This has been a lousy summer for stargazing, though great for learninglots…