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Credit & Copyright: Christina Carlton
Explanation:
The cloud poses no danger to the building.
Appearing to float above a remote monastery in
Sicily,
Italy, the
anvil cloud's shape shows several classic cloud features.
The cloud itself is composed of millions of very
small droplets of water and
ice.
The dramatically
flat cloud bottom is caused by temperature falling in the
lower atmosphere -- above a specific height
water-saturated air is forced to condense out water droplets.
The shape of the cloud middle is caused by the
water-droplet-laden column of air being blown both upward and to one side.
The anvil shape at the cloud top is likely caused by the upward air column reaching
a stable atmospheric layer, likely the
stratosphere, where horizontally moving air fans
out the top of the cloud.
The cumulonimbus cloud was captured out the front door of a house last year.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: clouds
Publications with words: clouds
See also: