Head above the clouds



Above the clouds over Snowdonia, New West Wales Copyright John Rowlands



Although we astronomers curse clouds by night, the dreamer in us prays for clouds by day.

 Clouds- nature's elegant storage system for the most precious compound on Earth. The wisdom of the stars owes gratitude to dancing percipitation. Without the occassional absence man would never have looked past the earthbound fog, never have measured and predicted the movement and position of our fellow playmates in the universe.



And yet without clouds' rain and mists and suncanopies, the Earth would be a more deserted palaette of sands. Traveling across the planet with a determined crawl they deliver reflecting crystals of life down to lush greenspaces, gathering fluid bodies and thirsty heartbeats. Only after long journys over mountains and plains, through rock and mud, and along twisting rivers can the tiny droplets begin the ascent back into the formless tangle at the outter space above.

The Cloud Appreciation Society dedicates itself to the wide appreciation of our cumulus, stratus and cirrus friends. Browse photos, read inspired poetry, or add to the abundance of cloud art.