Attention All Cloudspotters
You can’t look around when you’re looking up, so we’ve had a look around for you.
If you have cloud news that you think we should include here, please email it to us at: news@cloudappreciationsociety.org.
A Cloud Appreciation Society cloud talk,
London, 19 May
Cloud Appreciation Society founder, Gavin Pretor-Pinney, is very excited to be giving an illustrated clouds talk at the first ever Words in The Park festival that is taking place over the weekend of 19-20 May in London’s beautiful Holland Park.
The talk will take place in the marquee for Opera Holland Park, which is situated right in the middle of this small and perfectly formed city park. Gavin will be giving a crash course in cloudspotting, showing some of the many different types of cloud formation, as well as showing some of the best clouds that look like things sent in by members of the Cloud Appreciation Society, some of which appear in our new book ‘Clouds That Look Like Things‘.
This will be a great opportunity for London members to get together. Gavin will be around after the talk, and would love to meet any Society members who come up to say hello. He will also be signing copies of all the Cloud Appreciation Society books, which will be available at the event.
Gavin Pretor-Pinney: an illustrated talk about clouds
2.30pm Saturday 19 May
Words in the Park
at Opera Holland Park, Holland Park, London
Box Office: 0300 999 1000 (Monday–Friday, 10am–6pm)
Book tickets online here…
We are fast approaching a new milestone in the development of the society: 30,000 members. But we have also just past another. The number of people who “like” the Cloud Appreciation Society Facebook Page has just exceeded 10,000. It is always nice to know about fellow cloudspotters so we thought visitors might like an insight into the average age and sex of the people who like the Facebook page. It seems that most likes come from users in the 35-44 age range, with a greater proportion of these being female than male:
Who likes The Cloud Appreciation Society? Our Facebook page demographic graphic
We wish we could give you a similarly fancy graphic of the ages and sexes of the actual members of the society but we are not that sophisitcated.
The Cloud Appreciation Society Facebook page is a good place to find out about our upcoming cloud events, as well as seeing some fantastic cloud images uploaded to the page by Facebook users:
Visit the Cloud Appreciation Society Facebook Page…
The Cloud Appreciation Society on BBC Breakfast
On Saturday 5 May, we were invited onto BBC Breakfast to chat about the Society’s new book, ‘Clouds That Look Like Things’. The BBC invited viewers to send in thier own photographs of clouds in the shape of things. Amongst the many great photos sent in was a great one of Margaret Thatcher. As is always the case on TV, they had very little time to show them. We could them on the presenter’s little computer screen, and wish they’d been able to show more. Many thanks to any members who took the trouble to send in their images.
Of course, you can always see the latest Clouds that Look Like Things on our gallery pages.
It is the start of a new month, and the end of another day:
Go to Cloud of The Month for May…
Artists Rob and Nick Carter recently contacted us about their latest body of work. It plays on the transient nature of light and form and, they say, also creates a dialogue about the ephermeral aspect of art. The Carters have created their own coloured clouds which continues their preoccupation with light and colour and is achieved by a unique action photography that captures paint pigment spontaneously thrown into the air, juxtaposed against the blue sky as if it were dancing in space.
A hummingbird over Berryton, Kansas, US.
© Shannon Franks
It’s a beautiful example of ‘cloud iridescence’ and you can see it here:
April’s Cloud of the Month…
This was spotted on the National Geographic Daily News website with a story entitled “NASA Rockets Make Weird Clouds Near Edge of Space”.
The effect is caused as chemicals react with water and oxygen in the atmosphere to create the milky white clouds and were visible to both scientists and public in the clear morning skies along the US Northeast coast.
Amanda Murphy discovered this LP whilst at work. It is by British songwriter Graham de Wilde and is aptly named ‘Clouds’
We haven’t heard it and it’s currently out of print but maybe one to look out for. If you have a copy why not leave a comment and let us know what you think?
What cloud is this?
But for members of the Cloud Appreciation Society, naming these familiar high clouds is a doddle. You can see the answer at the bottom of Storm’s piece. But how many know the name of the optical effects that appear as spots of light on either side of the base of the photograph, and are caused by the sunlight passing through the ice crystals of the clouds (answer here)?
