Cloud
lastmod 2024-04-04created 2020-09-048 edits
(For the architecture that provides computer resources over the internet, see Cloud Computing)
This page is about real "clouds".
A cloud is a mass of tiny water droplets or ice particles floating in the atmosphere of the Earth, a planet, or a moon. (The cloud-like parts between stars are called 'nebulae', which are collections of interstellar matter. The Milky Way is not a cloud but a collection of stars.) The branch of meteorology that studies clouds is called nephology.
Most clouds on Earth form from water vapor. The particles mostly have a radius of about 0.02–0.05mm, and when billions of tiny droplets gather, they become observable as a cloud. Thick clouds have a reflectance approaching 70% to 95%, so cloud tops look white. However, the droplets inside the cloud scatter light, so the cloud turns gray toward the bottom. Colors can also change depending on sunlight and the surroundings. Clouds strongly absorb infrared light.
Weather phenomena such as precipitation are also caused by clouds.
Generating cloud images with Python (Cloud images using the diamond-square algorithm)
See the relevant page for details.
Other methods
- Generating and Real-Time Rendering of Clouds
- https://old.cescg.org/CESCG-2006/papers/Prague-Man-Petr.pdf
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Prague-Man-Petr.pdf
- A PyTorch-based tool to generate clouds for satellite images
- https://github.com/strath-ai/SatelliteCloudGenerator