Cloud Colors

Question:

Why are clouds white?

Answer:

Clouds are white because white light comes from the clouds to your eyes.

Now let me explain where this white light comes from.

1. Light from the sun is white. This means it is made up of all the colors of the light spectrum, which are the colors of the rainbow.

2. Clouds are made up of water in different physical states: gas, liquid, and solid. In other words, clouds can contain water vapor, water drops, as well as ice.

3. The water particles that make up clouds are large enough to scatter all of the sunlight that hits them. This means the water particles absorb (take in) the white light and then emits the white light in different directions. This makes the clouds look white.

Question:

What makes clouds look dark?

Answer:

The color of a cloud is due to the color of the light coming from the cloud  that enters your eyes.

Basically, the darker the cloud, the more light the cloud absorbs. Thus, less light is emitted by the cloud.

1. Dark clouds generally have a greater concentration of water particles. As the concentration of water particles increases, the less light emitted.

2. Thick clouds can look dark because the light continues to be scattered and little of it exits the bottom of the cloud. This is true for even clouds with a low concentration of water particles.

3. Some clouds are dark because they are in the shadow of another cloud.