Sky Watcher Look Up! Clouds Are Classified Based on Their Shape and Height in the Sky

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Sky Watcher Look up! Clouds are classified based on their shape and height in the sky. Use your powers of observation to examine your sky-space and identify the clouds forming around you. Can you find examples of these clouds in your neighborhood? Here are some of the most common groups of clouds you might see: • Stratus clouds look like layers of blankets—if they are near the ground, they form fog. • Cumulus clouds look fluffy and are usually scattered around the sky. • Cirrus clouds are some of the highest clouds in the sky. They are wispy and composed of ice crystals instead of water droplets. • Nimbus clouds are often dark or gray, signifying that the cloud has rain or snow falling from it. There are other types of clouds you might observe that form under special conditions: • Lenticular clouds are UFO-shaped and only form over hills and mountains. • Contrails are very linear clouds created by airplanes. Materials needed: • Cloud identification tool (see links below) • Pencil • Paper Step-by-step instructions: 1. Look outside! 2. Sketch and/or describe any clouds you see. 3. Use a cloud identification tool to classify your clouds. 4. Continue to make cloud observations for one week. Do some clouds appear more often than others? Discussion questions: • What type of cloud did you observe most often? • Which clouds do you see on stormy days? On bright sunny days? • Did you observe any precipitation, or the release of water from the sky in the form of rain, sleet, hail, or snow? • What other words and stories can you use to describe the clouds you observed? Additional resources: Need a cloud identification tool? Here are two great resources: • National Weather Service Cloud-Spotter Wheel: https://www.weather.gov/media/jetstream/clouds/cloudspotter.pdf • NOAA - Types of Clouds: https://scijinks.gov/clouds/ omsi.edu Types of Clouds Stratus Cloud Lenticular Cloud Nimbus Cloud Cirrus Clouds Cumulus Clouds Contrail omsi.edu.

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