Dark Sunset

It may not be immediately apparent, but today's sky picture is a picture of the sunset, albeit behind a mask of dark, rolling clouds. Taken on a wet February afternoon as the sun drew close to the horizon, I was struck by the contrasts between the brilliant sun and the murky clouds.

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It's almost as though there's a battle in progress between the forces of light and darkness as the sun tries to burn through the darkness, while the clouds, in turn, try to obscure the light. In this cloud pic, the forces of darkness seem to winning, and, indeed, the battle went their way - the sun made no more than occasional, deeply shrouded appearances before the day was done and the deeper darkness of a winter's night rode in.

PP

Family of Clouds

This picture of clouds in an otherwise largely clear blue sky was taken about an hour before sunset on a late February afternoon. The stark, leafless outlines of tress in winter seemed to contrast nicely with the softer shapes of the cloud formation apparently hanging just overhead.

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The similar shapes and colours in this cloud photo reminded me irresistibly of a family group of clouds, drifting lazily through the sky. Fanciful, I know, but probably no more so than finding pictures in the clouds - and who hasn't done that!?

PP

Contrails and Clouds

Taken just before sunset on a cold, clear February afternoon, this sky picture shows just how busy the skies around a reasonably large city can be. Contrails from a raft of aircraft criss cross the clear blue sky, forging long, straight vapour trail causeways between the randomly fuzzy natural clouds.

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I always find contrail pictures to be both fascinating and a little disturbing, in that they make a natural recording of how many aircraft are, or have recently been, vying for space in the skies above us. The potential for accidents in such a crowded space is an obvious cause for concern, yet the rarity of mid-air collisions is an impressive testament to the skills of air traffic controllers and pilots everywhere.

PP

Dark Clouds

Dark clouds, blue sky and a silver lining - who could ask for more from a picture of clouds in the sky? Well, I for one could have asked for an unobstructed view of this spectacular late afternoon cloud formation, but it wasn't to be. My field of vision was particularly narrow, with trees and tall buildings obscuring my view of the sky on either side, and it was all I could do to limit intrusion to a few leaves and branches in the lower corners of this cloud picture.

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The unwanted foreground objects aren't attractive, and I nearly didn't post this cloud pic because of them. But, on second thoughts, I decided that the towering peaks of dark cloud, outlined in gleaming silver against a sliver of blue sky, almost made up for their presence.

PP

Clouds of Doom

This cloud image was taken late on a February afternoon, as the now-invisible sun sank towards the horizon. The light quality seems to lend a slightly sinister quality to this seething mass of cloud, and the whole effect is one of impending doom.

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I could quite easily imagine cloud shapes like these foreshadowing some really unpleasant events - like Armageddon, or a tax demand!

PP

After the Rain

Images of clouds come in all shapes, sizes and patterns, from light and fluffy "diet" clouds to full fat storm clouds, laden with rain, snow, hail and, sometimes, all three. The clouds in today's pic are somewhere in the middle of that range, pictured as heavy rain clouds broke up to reveal some of their high-altitude counterparts and some sorely missed blue sky.

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It's quite a hopeful, optimistic image, as cloud pictures go, symbolising the eternal promise of good times after bad... or maybe I'm just reading far too much into a cloud photo :)

PP

Ghost Cloud

Another lightweight cloud picture, featuring delicate wisps and whorls of vapour instead of the mountainous peaks of yesterday's post - the sky is nothing if not full of variety! At first glance, there doesn't seem to be anything particularly unusual about this cloud image, but on closer inspection several interesting, if fanciful features leapt out at me.

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Pictures in the clouds are, of course, an optical illusion, but they're still fun! The more I looked at this cloud pic, the more I seemed to see a couple of ghostly figures, one with their arms outstretched and head thrown back, the other looking on. I haven't spoken to anyone else who can "see" them, but, for me, they set this image apart from the others I snapped today, and decided which one would be posted here.

PP