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Mammatus Clouds Over Saskatchewan

Explanation: Why is this cloud so bubbly? Normally, cloud bottoms are flat. The flatness is caused by moist warm air that rises and cools and so condenses into water droplets at a specific temperature, which usually corresponds to a very specific height. As water droplets grow, an opaque cloud forms. Under some conditions, however, cloud pockets can develop that contain large droplets of water or ice that fall into clear air as they evaporate. Such pockets may occur in turbulent air near a thunderstorm. Resulting mammatus clouds can appear especially dramatic if sunlit from the side. These mammatus clouds were photographed over Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada during the summer of 2012.

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That is so awesome a phenomena...

:---[===] *

Reminds me of the story about the two Americans who were traveling outside the US for the first time in their lives. As the train went west from Toronto they were arriving in a prairie city and asked the conductor "what city is this?" "Saskatoon, Saskatchewan" he replied. Then American said to the other, "Isn't it exciting! They don't even speak English!."

reminds me more of Jayne Mansfield in 1957, My dad didn't hide LIFE magazine fast enough and I saw it

ta152h0 wrote:
reminds me more of Jayne Mansfield in 1957, My dad didn't hide LIFE magazine fast enough and I saw it

http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php? ... 11#p248911

While this is an interesting phenomenon, and the picture is an excellent example of the mammatus cloud formation, I would think it would be more appropriately featured in a meteorology journal than in an astronomical photo journal such as APOD. I would like to see more pictures of astronomical phenomenon and fewer pictures about the weather in this format. I know, I know, Mars and Jupiter have weather too, and we see pics of their weather in APOD, but still...

Earth Science Picture of the Day is a bigger sinner, showing astronomy much too often. But hey, Earth is an astronomical object too, and you don't need even binoculars to see it!

FEALLEN wrote:While this is an interesting phenomenon, and the picture is an excellent example of the mammatus cloud formation, I would think it would be more appropriately featured in a meteorology journal than in an astronomical photo journal such as APOD. I would like to see more pictures of astronomical phenomenon and fewer pictures about the weather in this format. I know, I know, Mars and Jupiter have weather too, and we see pics of their weather in APOD, but still...

Pretend you're the one running APOD here and that you want more viewership. APOD almost always features astronomy imagery, but a few interesting and only tenuously related images do wonders to bring more people into astronomy.

But it's a phenomenon, not a phenomena.
There's only one.

APOD Robot wrote: Mammatus Clouds Over Saskatchewan

Explanation: Why is this cloud so bubbly? Normally, cloud bottoms are flat. The flatness is caused by moist warm air that rises and cools and so condenses into water droplets at a specific temperature, which usually corresponds to a very specific height. As water droplets grow, an opaque cloud forms. Under some conditions, however, cloud pockets can develop that contain large droplets of water or ice that fall into clear air as they evaporate. Such pockets may occur in turbulent air near a thunderstorm. Resulting mammatus clouds can appear especially dramatic if sunlit from the side. These mammatus clouds were photographed over Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada during the summer of 2012.

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Just to clarify, are these caused due to evaporation as the post says or condensation? If it is indeed evaporation, please explain. I apologize if this isn't the place for such a question, curiosity got the best of me.