Cirrus

Cirrus at Sunset
This is a great shot of feathery cirrus turned pink by the setting sun, and with some very distinct persistent contrails running through the sky. Photo by Ed Donovan, South Carolina, July 2003.

Cirrus and Crescent Moon
Thicker cirrus - note the feathery edges of the cloud - with a crescent moon in a deep blue sky. Photo by Dr. Bruce Wielicki, CERES PI, in the late 1970s.

Cirrus at Sunset
Another example of relatively thick cirrus here illuminated in pink and purple hues by the setting sun. Looks like colored cotton candy. Photo by Dr. Bruce Wielicki, CERES PI, in the late 1970s.

Cirrus
This photo shows transparent to translucent cirrus covering most of the sky. Photo by Kevin Larman.

Wispy Cirrus
This photo shows transparent to translucent cirrus streaks, and illustrates why cirrus clouds are often described as mare's tails. The streaks come from falling ice particles that make up the clouds. Photo by Lin Chambers, August, 2002.

Scattered Cirrus
This photo shows very scattered (cloud cover a few percent) transparent cirrus clouds, with evidence of more clouds in the distance at the horizon. This photo was taken over a lake in Sweden on Oct. 24, 1997, by Mats Furugard and his students.

Cirrus
This image was taken on April 17, 1999 in southeastern Virginia. It is a really interesting cirrus cloud type. Photo by Lin Chambers.with cumulus

Cirrus
Here is a beautiful photo of cirrus clouds. In Particular, to the left of the palm tree you can see the distinctive patterns of falling ice crystals, called fall streaks. Photo taked by Doug Stoddard in March 2002, in Puerto Rico.

Cirrus
This is a rarer manifestation of cirrus. Rather than fall streaks, which nicely show wind direction, this one suggests that the wind is fairly constant at the cloud altitude, and the cirrus ice particles are falling more or less straight down; resulting in spiral shaped streaks. Photo taken by Doug Stoddard in March 2002, in St. Thomas.

Cirrus over Cumulus
This is a great, and fairly typical shot of high thin cirrus over low cumulus clouds in the Tropics. Photo taken by Doug Stoddard in March 2002, in Puerto Rico.

Cirrus over Cumulus
This is a nice multi-layer tropical cloud situation, with low cumulus and high cirrus clouds both present. Photo take by Doug Stoddard in March 2002, in Puerto Rico.

Feathery Cirrus with Cumulus
This is a beautiful feathery cirrus cloud, with some small emerging or evaporating cumulus clouds below. Note the completely different texture of the two cloud types. Photo by Lin Chambers, Pleasant Lake, New Hampshire, July 2003.

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		Cirrus at Sunset This is a great shot of feathery cirrus turned pink by the setting sun, and with some very distinct persistent contrails running through the sky. Photo by Ed Donovan, South Carolina, July 2003.

		Cirrus and Crescent Moon Thicker cirrus - note the feathery edges of the cloud - with a crescent moon in a deep blue sky. Photo by Dr. Bruce Wielicki, CERES PI, in the late 1970s.

		Cirrus at Sunset Another example of relatively thick cirrus here illuminated in pink and purple hues by the setting sun. Looks like colored cotton candy. Photo by Dr. Bruce Wielicki, CERES PI, in the late 1970s.

		Cirrus This photo shows transparent to translucent cirrus covering most of the sky. Photo by Kevin Larman.

		Wispy Cirrus This photo shows transparent to translucent cirrus streaks, and illustrates why cirrus clouds are often described as mare's tails. The streaks come from falling ice particles that make up the clouds. Photo by Lin Chambers, August, 2002.

		Scattered Cirrus This photo shows very scattered (cloud cover a few percent) transparent cirrus clouds, with evidence of more clouds in the distance at the horizon. This photo was taken over a lake in Sweden on Oct. 24, 1997, by Mats Furugard and his students.

		Cirrus This image was taken on April 17, 1999 in southeastern Virginia. It is a really interesting cirrus cloud type. Photo by Lin Chambers.with cumulus

		Cirrus Here is a beautiful photo of cirrus clouds. In Particular, to the left of the palm tree you can see the distinctive patterns of falling ice crystals, called fall streaks. Photo taked by Doug Stoddard in March 2002, in Puerto Rico.

		Cirrus This is a rarer manifestation of cirrus. Rather than fall streaks, which nicely show wind direction, this one suggests that the wind is fairly constant at the cloud altitude, and the cirrus ice particles are falling more or less straight down; resulting in spiral shaped streaks. Photo taken by Doug Stoddard in March 2002, in St. Thomas.

		Cirrus over Cumulus This is a great, and fairly typical shot of high thin cirrus over low cumulus clouds in the Tropics. Photo taken by Doug Stoddard in March 2002, in Puerto Rico.

		Cirrus over Cumulus This is a nice multi-layer tropical cloud situation, with low cumulus and high cirrus clouds both present. Photo take by Doug Stoddard in March 2002, in Puerto Rico.

		Feathery Cirrus with Cumulus This is a beautiful feathery cirrus cloud, with some small emerging or evaporating cumulus clouds below. Note the completely different texture of the two cloud types. Photo by Lin Chambers, Pleasant Lake, New Hampshire, July 2003.