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Take a look at the sky on any given day and you’ll likely see clouds of different shapes — some look like cotton balls, others are fine and feathery or tall and imposing. But what gives a cloud its distinct appearance? The answer lies in a mix of factors. To understand how clouds get their shape, it helps to understand the basics of how they form. When air rises and cools, the water vapor it holds condenses into tiny water droplets or ice crystals. If enough of these particles cluster together, a visible cloud forms. Scientists typically classify clouds into ten main types, based on their shape and how high they appear in the sky. For instance, cumulus clouds (from the Latin for “heap”) resemble a pile of cotton balls, while stratus clouds (meaning “layer”) stretch out like blankets and cirrus clouds (Latin for “hair”) look feather-like. These root names can be combined to describe more complex cloud types—like cirrocumulus. The prefix “alto” (meaning “high”) helps distinguish mid-level clouds from their lower-level counterparts (such as altostratus vs stratus). NWS cloud chart. Click to expand to full-size. Image: NOAA The distance of a cloud from the Earth has a big influence…
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