cloud collection: introduction

One day I was browsing one of those independent bookstores in Balmain - you can always find such unique books - and came across this pocket-sized book called 'The Cloud Collector's Handbook'. Since my PhD is focused on investigating clouds of neutral hydrogen, which tend to look similar to terrestrial clouds, I tend to be drawn to any mention of the word 'cloud' at the moment. I've always had a soft spot for clouds anyway, there are some amazing patterns you can find in the sky if you look. So I liked this brightly-coloured handbook immediately.

The premise of the book is to describe various types of clouds and the weather process that goes into forming them, based around the idea of collecting the different clouds on a points-based system. Not terribly unlike Pokemon, which I'm quite partial to! I was happy with the book for what it is, a cute and detailed cloud reference book I could keep with me, but then after realising that I'd seen some of the more interesting clouds in the past, I decided to go with it and start a cloud collection of my own. If nothing else, it makes you look up at the sky more (and at past photos more closely) which is always a good thing.

If you're interested in starting your own cloud collection, check out the Cloud Appreciation Society's website or get hold of a copy of the book on Amazon. Happy cloud-hunting!

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