PhotoBlog - clouds

Mar

2013

3:57pm, EDT

Good heavens! 'Cloud angel' marking pope's selection is no miracle

WPTV YouReport

WPTV's viewers in South Florida sent in numerous pictures of Wednesday's "cloud angel."

By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News

Follow @b0yle

A "cloud angel" rose over South Florida on the day that a new pope was named at the Vatican — resulting in snapshots and comments that multiplied like the biblical loaves and fishes. But experts say Wednesday evening's apparition is no supernatural miracle. Rather, it's a perfectly natural phenomenon that took on special meaning because of Pope Francis' selection.

Several pictures came in to WPTV in West Palm Beach. Some saw a slim, winged figure in the cloud. "Wow, I wonder if Pope Francis ordered that!" one commenter, Thom George, said on WPTV's Facebook page. Others saw different shapes — a sea monkey, perhaps, or even Lucifer's satanic figure in the sunset.

Ian Loxley, photo gallery editor for the Cloud Appreciation Society, saw a cloud. A very interesting cloud.

"It is difficult to be definitive about what the formation is without knowing what went before. It could be Cirrus if high enough; however, it appears to be lower than the background Altocumulus which is the teaser. My best shot would be a virga remnant from an aircraft contrail," Loxley said in an email.

"Sorry not to be able to give an absolute answer," he continued. "It is, however, a very interesting capture that would sit nicely in our 'Clouds That Look Like Things' section of the gallery."

The society's cloud galleries show off all sorts of shapely formations, including doves, dolphins, UFOs, witches and, yes, angels. Fewer things are better-suited than clouds for this kind of pattern recognition, which goes by the name of pareidolia. Our brains are so wired up to recognize faces and other humanlike patterns that we can easily see them in inanimate objects.

"Pareidolia" is a combination of Greek words that essentially means "wrong shape." It's the same phenomenon that gives rise to the Face on Mars, or Mickey Mouse on Mercury, or New Hampshire's now-noseless "Old Man of the Mountain." In the case of the cloud angel, the religious connection was heightened by the coincidence of the papal conclave.

Could the cloud angel be a hoax? That's not likely, given the fact that WPTV received pictures from several viewers in different locations. Also, there are much crazier cloud shapes out there. But if you want to look at Wednesday's coincidence as a sign from above ... well, that's a matter of faith, not atmospheric science.

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More shapes in the clouds:

Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Feb

2012

3:04pm, EST

Spectacular 'cloud tsunami' rolls over Florida high-rise condos

JR Hott / Panhandle Helicopter

Panama City Beach, Florida -- Fog rolls up along the shore of Panama City Beach, Florida on Feb. 5th, 2012.

JR Hott / Panhandle Helicopter

Panama City Beach, Florida -- Fog rolls up along the shore of Panama City Beach, Florida on Feb. 5th, 2012.

By Natalia Jimenez, NBC News

Helicopter pilot Mike Schaeffer was wrapping up a tour when he spotted this incredible weather phenomenon along the coast of Panama City Beach, Fl. on Sunday. As soon as he landed, he alerted Panhandle Helicopter owner JR Hott of the "cloud form waves," and together they went up for a better view. They moved quickly knowing that it is only in very specific weather conditions that this beautiful effect occurs. While the online community has dubbed this a "cloud tsunami," Hott disagrees with the popular moniker:

I wouldn't call it a "cloud tsunami." The term tsunami implies a natural disaster. The event, while it can form quickly, moves gently and slowly. It isn't something that happens with more than a gentle breeze.

While the images appear non-threatening and peaceful, as an experienced pilot, Hott has been trained to treat all fog and clouds as if they are solid objects. He and Schaeffer were very careful approaching in the air to get a better view. Fortunately, because of the location of the condos, they were able to approach the cloud waves from the side and did not place themselves in the direct path of the fog.

JR Hott / Panhandle Helicopter

Panama City Beach, Florida -- Fog rolls up along the shore of Panama City Beach, Florida on Feb. 5th, 2012.

JR Hott / Panhandle Helicopter

Panama City Beach, Florida -- Fog rolls up along the shore of Panama City Beach, Florida on Feb. 5th, 2012.

Meteorologist Dan Satterfield explains this occurrence on his blog:

Cool air offshore was very nearly at the saturation point, with a temperature near 20ºC and a dew point of about 19.5ºC. The air at this temperature can only hold a certain amount of water vapor, and how much it can hold depends heavily on the temperature. If you add more water into the air, a cloud will form, but you can also get a cloud to form by cooling the air. Drop the temperature, and it can no long hold as much water vapor, so some of it will condense out and a cloud will form.

Hott will see this happen a couple times a year, but Sunday's visibility was especially clear and he was able to make all these pictures in only five minutes! He is more amazed at the attention his pictures are getting, rather than with the event itself. "This is not so much a study in photography, but a study in how something can go viral," he said. Hott posted the photos to his company's Facebook page and suddenly he was getting requests for the pictures from all over the world. He is happy with the attention, hoping it inspires some to take a tour with him along the coastline.

For more incredible and surreal weather photos see: