Jamie Costello, Head of Physics at Sutton Grammar School and Cloud Appreciation Society member sent in this image of Cumulus at 20,000ft.

The photograph was taken by a group of children taking part in a school project. He says “It took a good deal of work to get this shot but it was worth it. Google Earth tends to take shots with clear sky. It is lovely to see some of the trails of clouds formed in some of the other photos.”

Sponsored by the Institute of Physics the students created the entire payload including flight computer which modulated a GPS signal into a de-codable radio signal. They also had sponsorship from the Dorking and District Radio society and a donation of batteries from Battery Force.

Jamie added “Although we found the payload, not everything worked and we are going to launch again soon- ish”.

You can see the full project details by clicking here

THROUGH THE NIGHT – AUTUMN 2001

The moon’s beam drew-out,
White, a passing curly-cloud
From the inky sky.

© David Franks/WalkaboutsVerse 2003

She gives notible mention to both “The Cloud Collectors Handbook” and “The Cloudspotter’s Guide” although the main focus of the article is how clouds affect our mood on a day to day basis. She writes “looking up is good for you. Just the simple act of looking up when you feel down changes your psychological condition and raises your energy. And developing a relationship with the skies above allows your consciousness to expand to fill bigger spaces and your creativity to soar.”

It’s an inspired and uplifting article. Well worth a read