François David (Cloud Appreciation Society Member 61,725) saw these Altocumulus exhibiting cloud iridescence over the Alps from Chamonix, France. Since the diaphanous clouds were dissipating away, they were translucent enough to allow the sunlight to shine through, and their evaporating droplets were minuscule enough to bend the light and separate its constituent wavelengths (by a process known as diffraction) into delicate pastel hues. Cloud iridescence is best observed when sunlight shines through thin clouds made of tiny, consistently sized droplets when the blinding Sun is itself obscured from view. The Altocumulus clouds provided the droplets, and the silhouetted summit of Aiguille de Blaitière, part of the Mont Blanc massif, was happy to act as the sunshade.
In Album: Roger's Timeline Photos
Dimension:
700 x 700
File Size:
39.77 Kb
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