Scientists explain why clouds "float" in the sky

Scientists have revealed the secrets of clouds "floating" in the sky and explained why they seem so weightless. Unusual shapes and structures of clouds capture the imagination, but researchers claim that this is just an illusion.

Clouds are made up of water droplets and ice crystals that form around condensation nuclei, such as a speck of dust or salt. Much of the weight of a cloud is water, When it becomes too heavy, precipitation falls in the form of rain, snow or hail. Before this happens, however, the droplets slowly fall to the Earth.

This slow descent occurs because of the so-called terminal velocity when the air's drag force is almost equal to gravity. The droplets are so light that their descent is almost imperceptible to the eye, with 60 to 120 feet per hour. This is not a significant downward shift that is impossible to notice at high cloud heights.

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However, there is something that keeps the drops aloft, helping them create the illusion of floating. This factor is the flow of air that rises upward. These currents keep the droplets suspended, even when they appear to be falling slowly. This makes clouds appear to float in the sky.

Mark Miller, a professor of atmospheric science at Rutgers University, compared water droplets to dust particles swirling in the sunlight in a commentary to Live Science. These specks of dust also fall slowly. However, being held by an upward flow, they give the impression of lightness and weightlessness.

Clouds are the visible result of vertical movement and mixing of air and water as the droplets slowly fall to the ground. Thus, clouds appear at a height but are kept suspended by the vertical movement of air. It is noted that the movement of cloud droplets reveals the movement of air in the atmosphere.

Although clouds may appear light and fluffy, a cumulonimbus or storm cloud can weigh as much as 100 elephants, depending on their size. However, even with this weight, the rising air keeps them aloft, creating a magical cloud pattern that fascinates us every day.

Earlier, scientists found a strange underwater volcano that looks like a large cupcake.

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