Cloud Watching
Stare at the sky and call it science. Because it is.
Cloud watching is exactly what it sounds like, but deeper than you think. Learn to identify cloud types (cumulonimbus, lenticular, mammatus) and you start reading the sky like weather forecasters did before satellites. Or just lie on grass and find shapes. Both are valid approaches to this extremely peaceful hobby.
How to start
- 1Step outside. Look up. That's step one — you're already doing it.
- 2Learn five basic cloud types: cumulus, stratus, cirrus, cumulonimbus, nimbostratus.
- 3Download a cloud identification app or print a simple cloud chart.
- 4Take a photo of an interesting cloud every day for a week.
- 5Try to predict the weather based on what you see. Check if you were right.
What you'll need
- Your eyeballsEssentialFree
- A blanket to lie onNice to haveFree
- Cloud Spotter's Guide (book)Nice to have~$12
Where to learn more
Plot twists
Ways to spice this up when the basics get boring.
- Join the Cloud Appreciation Society and submit your best cloud photo.
- Keep a cloud journal — sketch what you see with the date and weather.
- Spot a rare cloud type: lenticular, Kelvin-Helmholtz, or asperitas.
- Watch a sunrise and try to name every cloud layer you see.
Literally no setup, no equipment, no commitment. Look up. Done. Your brain gets a micro-vacation and you learn something without trying.
There's an officially recognized cloud type called 'asperitas' that was discovered by amateurs and added to the International Cloud Atlas in 2017 — the first new cloud type in over 30 years.
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