New Delhi: Monsoon has arrived in India and will soon cover the entire country. The clouds hovering over the city make it look more beautiful. We sometimes guess while looking at the clouds’ colour if it will rain or not. But do you know why the clouds look grey before it rains? Or what are the different colours of clouds, such as the fluffy white of a cumulus cloud, the dark grey of a rain cloud, or the ominous green of a severe thunderstorm? This article will help you understand why the colour of the clouds looks different to us.
View of rain clouds (Photo credit: Sakchai Vongsasiripat/Moment/Getty Images)
Why do clouds appear grey to us?
Clouds are made up of tiny water droplets that are too small for us to see. But if you were to look at them under a microscope, you would see little drops of water.
The sky’s colours result from the scattering and refraction of sunlight as it travels to the Earth’s surface. This phenomenon is known as atmospheric optics, studying how light interacts with the Earth’s atmosphere. Everyday examples of atmospheric optics include the blue sky and the red and orange hues of a sunset. However, other, more spectacular occurrences only happen under special conditions, such as a rainbow or a Fata Morgana.
But what is the reason why some clouds appear grey? The answer has less to do with atmospheric optics and more with the size of a cloud, the amount of water in a cloud and whether or not there are any clouds above the one you are looking at.
Greyness is caused by the sun’s light being blocked. Blocking can happen when a cloud, such as a cumulonimbus tower, is large enough to absorb solar energy as it passes through. Additionally, when hydrometeors like rain, hail, and snow are present in a cloud, they can block some of the sun’s light from passing through to the other side.
Monsoon clouds (Photo credit: Jiojio/Moment/Getty Images)
However, rain clouds often appear grey instead of white. This is due to a phenomenon called light scattering. As a cloud gathers more water droplets and ice crystals, it becomes thicker and denser. This denseness causes the cloud to scatter more light, resulting in less light penetrating it. The scattered light makes the cloud grey, especially from a distance.
Have you ever wondered why rain clouds appear grey? The answer is light scattering. A cloud becomes thicker and denser as it gathers more water droplets and ice crystals. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
