A beautifully illustrated guide to clouds and the sky for inspiring and educating curious minds with meteorological wonder.
Renowned journalist, public speaker, and founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society Gavin Pretor-Pinney details the key facts and characteristics about each major cloud type. To accompany these scientific tidbits, William Grill’s gorgeous illustrations of vast colorful skies and mesmerizing cloud patterns create a calming, thought-provoking learning experience.
From low-lying Stratus to high-flying Cirrus, Cloudspotting for Beginners covers how clouds are formed, the altitudes they prefer, the curious shapes they take, how they affect other meterological events, and more. The book breaks down the life and structure of a cloud on a molecular level, and then even expands on their interesting cross-planetary variations—for example, Jupiter’s clouds are composed of ammonia ice crystals and Saturn’s clouds congregate in an inexplicable hexagon around the planet's North Pole.
Clouds require a fascinating amount of chemical precision in order to exist, yet they disappear and form again on a daily basis with ease. Cloudspotting for Beginners is a whimsical lesson on the oft-overlooked extraordinary lives of clouds that will serve as a gentle reminder to be present and observant in the face of impermanence. Just as informative as it is poetic and peaceful, this is the perfect guide for cloud appreciators and sky lovers.
Gavin Pretor-Pinney is a renowned journalist and cofounder of The Idler magazine in England. A former science nerd and a graduate of Oxford University, he has been obsessed with clouds since childhood. His writing has appeared in The Telegraph, Evening Standard, and elsewhere. Based in London and Somerset, Gavin is the founder and chair of The Cloud Appreciation Society. Visit their website at www.cloudappreciationsociety.org.
View titles by Gavin Pretor-Pinney
Have you ever watched a cloud being born?
Pick a clear day when just a few white puffs scatter the blue. Try to spot where the faintest patch of cloud is beginning to appear. It’ll look at first like the very tip of a cloud is forming.
Gradually, your little white smudge might build into dazzling, bright mounds. A cloud has been born!
You will soon be able to say which of the ten main types of cloud yours is. Each type has its own special qualities. Each has a part of the sky where it likes to hang out. And each has a fancy Latin name.
A beautifully illustrated guide to clouds and the sky for inspiring and educating curious minds with meteorological wonder.
Renowned journalist, public speaker, and founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society Gavin Pretor-Pinney details the key facts and characteristics about each major cloud type. To accompany these scientific tidbits, William Grill’s gorgeous illustrations of vast colorful skies and mesmerizing cloud patterns create a calming, thought-provoking learning experience.
From low-lying Stratus to high-flying Cirrus, Cloudspotting for Beginners covers how clouds are formed, the altitudes they prefer, the curious shapes they take, how they affect other meterological events, and more. The book breaks down the life and structure of a cloud on a molecular level, and then even expands on their interesting cross-planetary variations—for example, Jupiter’s clouds are composed of ammonia ice crystals and Saturn’s clouds congregate in an inexplicable hexagon around the planet's North Pole.
Clouds require a fascinating amount of chemical precision in order to exist, yet they disappear and form again on a daily basis with ease. Cloudspotting for Beginners is a whimsical lesson on the oft-overlooked extraordinary lives of clouds that will serve as a gentle reminder to be present and observant in the face of impermanence. Just as informative as it is poetic and peaceful, this is the perfect guide for cloud appreciators and sky lovers.
Gavin Pretor-Pinney is a renowned journalist and cofounder of The Idler magazine in England. A former science nerd and a graduate of Oxford University, he has been obsessed with clouds since childhood. His writing has appeared in The Telegraph, Evening Standard, and elsewhere. Based in London and Somerset, Gavin is the founder and chair of The Cloud Appreciation Society. Visit their website at www.cloudappreciationsociety.org.
View titles by Gavin Pretor-Pinney
Excerpt
Have you ever watched a cloud being born?
Pick a clear day when just a few white puffs scatter the blue. Try to spot where the faintest patch of cloud is beginning to appear. It’ll look at first like the very tip of a cloud is forming.
Gradually, your little white smudge might build into dazzling, bright mounds. A cloud has been born!
You will soon be able to say which of the ten main types of cloud yours is. Each type has its own special qualities. Each has a part of the sky where it likes to hang out. And each has a fancy Latin name.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
