Clouds: The view of the sky changes as soon as the monsoon arrives. Big clouds are visible in the sky. These clouds contain water which comes down in the form of rain drops. If you have traveled by air or gone to the mountains, then you must have seen the clouds very closely. Plane passes through them as well and they just look like smoke. Clouds are very light and like a piece of cotton in appearance, but they have a lot of weight. Although, they are in the gravitational field of the earth but still do not fall down. Ever wondered why this happens?
How are clouds formed?
According to a video report by DW, there is water i.e. water vapor in the form of gas everywhere in our atmosphere. Being in gaseous form, we cannot see it. But, when the hot air containing water vapor rises up, it starts cooling down when it reaches some height from the earth. Then the water stored in it starts condensing and slowly becoming more dense takes the shape of water drops and forms a cloud.
cloud weight
Looking at the clouds from the earth, it seems that they are very light and easily move from one place to another through the air. But, the lighter you consider the clouds, they weigh many times more than that. According to the report, the weight of a cloud formed from heat can be up to several tonnes and sometimes it becomes many times more than this. That is, the weight of a cloud is several thousand kg.
How to know weight?
The weight of a cloud is not measured by any weight machine, but there is a special way of measuring it. Actually, satellite technology is used to measure the weight of the cloud. Satellite’s radar equipment sends some waves to the cloud, due to which the weight of the cloud is estimated according to its density. Waves are sent across the cloud from the satellite and its cause is calculated.
Why don’t you fall down?
The water droplets present in the clouds are so small that the warm air easily lifts them up. For example, when we put hot water or any liquid in a vessel, steam comes out of it and stays on top until these drops are big and heavy. When these drops become too thick, they start coming down. This was just a small example of it. Similarly, the clouds also remain above. They come down only in the form of rain or hail, otherwise they keep floating in the air.
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