How big can a cloud get?

Cumulus clouds are large and lumpy. Their name comes from the Latin word meaning "heap" or "pile." They can stretch vertically into the atmosphere up to 12,000 meters (39,000 feet) high.

What is the biggest cloud ever recorded?

Astronomers have discovered the largest and oldest mass of water ever detected in the universe — a gigantic, 12-billion-year-old cloud holding140 trillion times more water than all of Earth's oceans combined. The cloud surrounds a supermassive black hole 12 billion light-years from Earth.

Can a cloud weigh 1000000 pounds?

That is about 500,000 kilograms or 1.1 million pounds (about 551 tons).

Is a cloud heavier than an elephant?

Viewed from a plane, clouds appear fluffy and light, but in fact the water droplets and ice crystals making up the average cumulus cloud (1km cubed in size) weigh around 550 tonnes – the same as a herd of 100 African elephants. Meanwhile, a towering thunderstorm cloud is equivalent to 200,000 elephants.

How do clouds float if they're so heavy?

Even though a cloud weighs tons, it doesn't fall on you because the rising air responsible for its formation keeps the cloud floating in the air. The air below the cloud is denser than the cloud, thus the cloud floats on top of the denser air nearer the land surface.

How Much Do Clouds Actually Weigh?

What's the rarest cloud?

Noctilucent clouds - the rarest clouds in the world - have glowed like shimmering cobwebs in the sky over the San Francisco Bay Area, US and experts think they were likely the result of a rocket launch.

What is Earth's rarest cloud?

What is asperitas cloud? Asperitas (formerly referred to as Undulatus Asperitas) is a distinctive, but relatively rare cloud formation that takes the appearance of rippling waves. These wave-like structures form on the underside of the cloud to makes it look like a rough sea surface when viewed from below.

Is there a cloud bigger than the Milky Way?

Scientists discover largest gas cloud in space that's 20 times bigger than the Milky Way. Glowing in the Pegasus constellation are five apparently closely packed galaxies known as Stephan's Quintet, whispering the secrets of galactic evolution to scientists.

How much bigger is IC 1101 than the Milky Way?

But the size is right—IC 1101 gargantuan. At an estimated 5.5 million light-years wide, over 50 Milky Ways could fit across it! And considering it takes our Solar System about 225 million years to complete a single revolution around the Milky Way… well…

How many clouds are there in the universe?

According to the World Meteorological Organization's International Cloud Atlas, more than 100 types of clouds exist.

Which planet has more clouds?

Mars is home to the highest clouds ever discovered above the surface of a planet, astronomers said today.

Has a cloud ever touched the ground?

Some clouds are high up in the sky. Low clouds form closer to Earth's surface. In fact, low clouds can even touch the ground. These clouds are called fog.

Are there ever no clouds on Earth?

This is especially the case over the oceans, where other research shows less than 10 percent of the sky is completely clear of clouds at any one time. Over land, 30 percent of skies are completely cloud free.

What is the lifespan of a cloud?

The average lifespan of a cumulus cloud is less than one hour, after which it either turns to a cumulonimbus cloud or tends to disintegrate.

What is the most violent cloud?

Cumulonimbus clouds are associated with extreme weather such as heavy torrential downpours, hail storms, lightning and even tornadoes.

Is there a black cloud?

Drs. Malcolm and Loyal: In nature, there is no such thing as a “Black cloud”. There are white appearing clouds on sunny days and gray appearing clouds on stormy ones.

Why is cloud 9 so special?

According to their code abbreviations, zero represented the lowest clouds (stratus), and nine, the tallest clouds (cumulonimbus, or thunderstorm clouds). It's from this that the expression “cloud nine” was likely born!

Will clouds ever go away?

Clouds do not disappear. They just become invisible water vapor by different mechanisms. Usually, the micro-droplets of water are transformed into another form of water.

What if clouds fell?

Without clouds, average surface temperatures would rise by as much as 22 degrees Celsius. This extreme temperature spike would not only destroy the habitats of most flora and fauna, killing off whatever survived the drought, it would also melt the polar ice caps and cause massive flooding of coastal cities.

Is it hotter when there are no clouds?

The Short Answer: Clouds play an important role in both warming and cooling our planet. Clouds give us a cooler climate on Earth than we would enjoy without clouds.

What do clouds smell like?

Lightning inside of clouds produces ozone—that's the smell that tells you that a storm is on the way. Ozone is made up of three oxygen atoms, and has sort of a light chlorine smell, says Dalton. Some people might describe it as fresh, others as a little sharp.

Can a cloud hold a person?

Save this answer. Show activity on this post. Clouds can hold no weight at all. They are not a coherent material, but consist mostly of air, with tiny droplets of water (or ice crystals) suspended in it.

Can you fly into a cloud?

Moreover, the turbulence inside a cloud can become extreme and break apart an aircraft. Thus, it is extremely dangerous to fly inside such a system.

Which planet rains acid?

But if that doesn't sound painful enough, rain on Venus is made up of extremely corrosive sulphuric acid, which would severely burn any interstellar traveller's skin.

Which planet has life like Earth?

In 2020, Gilbert and others announced the discovery of the Earth-size, habitable-zone planet d, which is on a 37-day orbit, along with two other worlds. The innermost planet, TOI 700 b, is about 90% Earth's size and orbits the star every 10 days.