Have you ever wondered why rain clouds appear grey? The answer is light scattering. A cloud becomes thicker and denser as it gathers more water droplets and ice crystals. New Delhi: Monsoon has arrived in India and will soon cover the entire country.
The clouds hovering over the city make it look more beautiful. We sometimes guess while looking at the clouds’ colour if it will rain or not. But do you know why the clouds look grey before it rains? Or what are the different colours of clouds, such as the fluffy white of a cumulus cloud, the dark grey of a rain cloud, or the ominous green of a severe thunderstorm? This article will help you understand why the colour of the clouds looks different to us.
Why do clouds appear grey to us? Clouds are made up of tiny water droplets that are too small for us to see. But if you were to look at them under a microscope, you would see little drops of water. The sky’s colours result from the scattering and refraction of sunlight as it travels to the Earth’s surface.
This phenomenon is known as atmospheric optics, studying how light interacts with the Earth’s atmosphere. Everyday examples of atmospheric optics include the blue sky and the red and orange hues of a sunset. However, other, more spectacular occurrences only happen under special conditions, such as a rainbow or a Fata Morgana.
But what is the reason why some clouds appear grey? The answer has less to do with atmospheric optics and more with the size of a cloud, the amount.
