Cumulus Archives - Skytimelapse.com

Cumulus

Note for these clips in particular: due to the cloud video service, the alternate video source will have higher quality for most users.

The lower, ‘fluffy’ clouds known as cumulus get their name from the Latin word meaning ‘accumulation’ or ‘heap,’ perfectly capturing their bunched-up form. While typically found in the lower atmosphere, cumulus-like (cumuliform) clouds can experience convective forces at all levels.

As these clouds become more convective—a process driven by temperature differences resulting from cloud density and the heating of the sun and land—they can grow into towering cumulonimbus clouds. This development occurs when cooled air and water from the shaded, dense regions of the cloud descend as precipitation.

The cumulus clouds shown here are light to medium in density and remain below 4800 feet. A striking observation is that these lower clouds often move counter to the direction of upper-level clouds.

Their movement appears almost autonomous, with each water droplet’s path affected by countless other droplets and minuscule air currents, resulting in highly intricate patterns.

This complexity likely contributes to the challenges in smoothly rendering time-lapses of cumulus clouds; the data requirements for capturing such detail at a given quality level are substantial.

4 of 5 | Mixed levels of clouds transforming overhead in blue sky

View with alternate video source

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Scene notes:

An original, recently remastered time-lapse of the sky with clouds.
Time-lapse length (30 fps):
29 seconds and 18 frames.

3 of 5 | Mixed levels of clouds transforming overhead in blue sky

View with alternate video source

Scene notes:

An original, recently remastered time-lapse of the sky with clouds.
Time-lapse length (30 fps):
30 seconds and 2 frames.

blues | cumulus | grays | layers | no horizon

2 of 5 | Mixed levels of clouds transforming overhead in blue sky

View with alternate video source

Scene notes:

An original, recently remastered time-lapse of the sky with clouds.
Time-lapse length (30 fps):
38 seconds and 14 frames.

blues | cumulus | grays | layers | no horizon

1 of 5 | Mixed levels of clouds transforming overhead in blue sky

View with alternate video source

Scene notes:

An original, recently remastered time-lapse of the sky with clouds.
Time-lapse length (30 fps):
13 seconds and 29 frames.

blues | cumulus | grays | layers | no horizon

5 of 5 Mixed levels of clouds transforming overhead in blue sky

View with alternate video source

Scene notes:

An original, recently remastered time-lapse of the sky with clouds.
Time-lapse length (30 fps):
15 seconds.

blues | cumulus | grays | layers | no horizon

Lower clouds hurriedly move to left and away from POV

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Scene notes:

An original, recently remastered time-lapse of the sky with clouds.
Time-lapse length (30 fps):
37 seconds and 4 frames.

blues | cumulus | grays | layers | no horizon

A single larger cloud seems to disperse, floating…

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Scene notes:

Coming overhead towards POV in late afternoon. An original, recently remastered time-lapse of the sky with clouds.
Time-lapse length (30 fps):
21 seconds and 3 frames.

Delicate day clouds move slowly directly overhead mid-day

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Scene notes:

From the shape of the lower cloud, and the density, a white-gray gradient is perfectly created, demonstrating the effect of light through clouds. The cloud spans multiple levels of altitude; low and medium. A three second interval is used.
Time-lapse length (30 fps):
9 seconds and 20 frame.

blues | cumulus | grays | layers | no horizon