Comments on: Lenticular clouds over the Boulder foothills http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/10/21/lenticular-clouds-over-the-boulder-foothills/ Wed, 21 Nov 2012 15:12:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Energy Tough Love Blog » I Renew My Vows – Save the environment from mankind http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/10/21/lenticular-clouds-over-the-boulder-foothills/#comment-201103 Energy Tough Love Blog » I Renew My Vows – Save the environment from mankind Thu, 05 May 2011 16:01:32 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=6247#comment-201103 [...] Sun’s atmosphere, but a lovely optical effect from water droplets in the clouds), standing-wave lenticular clouds, even a Green Flash! Watch the stars as they wheel across the view; can you spot the Pleiades, the [...] [...] Sun’s atmosphere, but a lovely optical effect from water droplets in the clouds), standing-wave lenticular clouds, even a Green Flash! Watch the stars as they wheel across the view; can you spot the Pleiades, the [...]

]]> By: Kempton http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/10/21/lenticular-clouds-over-the-boulder-foothills/#comment-201102 Kempton Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:19:22 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=6247#comment-201102 For a trailer on a 32 minute documentary of a soaring distance record using the lenticular clouds, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAKYNAi0P7Y FYI, if you want to buy the full 32 minute HD video, go to: http://hdsoaring.blogspot.com And thank you to Sarah, whomever you are , for citing my video in my blog in the first post above. I shoot HD video from the cockpit of my gliders (not hang gliders) for education and instruction on using wave clouds (lenticulars) for cross country soaring flights. In the video we discuss planning, preparation and tactics for flying 1,200 miles in one day without an engine. The world record is almost 1,900 miles in one day set in Argentina a few years ago. That's from SF to Chicago with no engine in one day! Yet there is very little research on these, other than a few crazy glider pilots who either want to break records, or in another highly specialized project, to go to 90,000 in wave produced by the Polar Vortex: http://www.perlanproject.com/ For me, this is the best science there is! For a trailer on a 32 minute documentary of a soaring distance record using the lenticular clouds, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAKYNAi0P7Y

FYI, if you want to buy the full 32 minute HD video, go to: http://hdsoaring.blogspot.com

And thank you to Sarah, whomever you are , for citing my video in my blog in the first post above. I shoot HD video from the cockpit of my gliders (not hang gliders) for education and instruction on using wave clouds (lenticulars) for cross country soaring flights. In the video we discuss planning, preparation and tactics for flying 1,200 miles in one day without an engine. The world record is almost 1,900 miles in one day set in Argentina a few years ago. That’s from SF to Chicago with no engine in one day! Yet there is very little research on these, other than a few crazy glider pilots who either want to break records, or in another highly specialized project, to go to 90,000 in wave produced by the Polar Vortex: http://www.perlanproject.com/

For me, this is the best science there is!

]]> By: Larry http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/10/21/lenticular-clouds-over-the-boulder-foothills/#comment-201101 Larry Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:18:56 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=6247#comment-201101 @ Spectroscope asked - Do they give you rain or hail? Or just float on by? These clouds are formed exclusively when you have a high and reasonably laminar (smooth) wind flow over something big enough to cause a region to exist where cloud can form. The technical background involves the air speeding up and an associated pressure drop to get around the obstacle, but the key is that the temperature drops below the dew point in that reagion. The cloud appears to be stationary but is actually VERY active-forming on the leading edge and dissipating on the trailing edge of the visible cloud. I don't recall EVER seeing any sort of precipitation from a lenticular cloud...I'm not sure that that is possible, given how they are formed, but I'm open to be surprised, too. :-) @ Spectroscope asked -
Do they give you rain or hail? Or just float on by?

These clouds are formed exclusively when you have a high and reasonably laminar (smooth) wind flow over something big enough to cause a region to exist where cloud can form. The technical background involves the air speeding up and an associated pressure drop to get around the obstacle, but the key is that the temperature drops below the dew point in that reagion. The cloud appears to be stationary but is actually VERY active-forming on the leading edge and dissipating on the trailing edge of the visible cloud.

I don’t recall EVER seeing any sort of precipitation from a lenticular cloud…I’m not sure that that is possible, given how they are formed, but I’m open to be surprised, too. :-)

]]> By: stevesliva http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/10/21/lenticular-clouds-over-the-boulder-foothills/#comment-201100 stevesliva Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:47:04 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=6247#comment-201100 Climbing magazine just had some news about the Devil's Thumb: http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/extreme_headpoints_in_co_and_ny/ Climbing that overhang you see in your photo turns out to be really difficult. Go figure! Climbing magazine just had some news about the Devil’s Thumb:
http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/extreme_headpoints_in_co_and_ny/

Climbing that overhang you see in your photo turns out to be really difficult. Go figure!

]]> By: Chris http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/10/21/lenticular-clouds-over-the-boulder-foothills/#comment-201099 Chris Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:39:28 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=6247#comment-201099 Every once in a while you can see some (small) lenticular clouds off Mount Greylock here in MA. It's uncommon but not unheard of and sometimes they'll post pictures in the Lifestyle (!) section of the local paper. Every once in a while you can see some (small) lenticular clouds off Mount Greylock here in MA. It’s uncommon but not unheard of and sometimes they’ll post pictures in the Lifestyle (!) section of the local paper.

]]> By: mike burkhart http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/10/21/lenticular-clouds-over-the-boulder-foothills/#comment-201098 mike burkhart Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:57:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=6247#comment-201098 Yes these clouds are sometimes mistaken for ufos another thing mistaken for ufos I think is secret aircraft (I've had an intrest in aircraft in studying I came to this conclusion) in the 50s there was reserch in saucer shaped aircraft in fact the first report in 1947 that started all this may have been a flight of flying wings another type of aircraft reserched In the late 80s there were reports of triangle shaped ufos in Europe at the time the f117 at the time top secert was being deployed to nato air bases I think these people thought the f 117s flying to these airbases were ufos I konw some may disagree with me but this what I think is just one rational thing ufos could be Yes these clouds are sometimes mistaken for ufos another thing mistaken for ufos I think is secret aircraft (I’ve had an intrest in aircraft in studying I came to this conclusion) in the 50s there was reserch in saucer shaped aircraft in fact the first report in 1947 that started all this may have been a flight of flying wings another type of aircraft reserched In the late 80s there were reports of triangle shaped ufos in Europe at the time the f117 at the time top secert was being deployed to nato air bases I think these people thought the f 117s flying to these airbases were ufos I konw some may disagree with me but this what I think is just one rational thing ufos could be

]]> By: Stephen http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/10/21/lenticular-clouds-over-the-boulder-foothills/#comment-201097 Stephen Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:53:16 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=6247#comment-201097 I saw a lot of those when I lived in Boulder too. Here's a great shot of clouds rising over a mountain that I took in Estes Park. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wmgobuffs/2989328861/ I saw a lot of those when I lived in Boulder too. Here’s a great shot of clouds rising over a mountain that I took in Estes Park.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wmgobuffs/2989328861/

]]> By: CJSF http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/10/21/lenticular-clouds-over-the-boulder-foothills/#comment-201096 CJSF Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:41:17 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=6247#comment-201096 One thing that surprised me after moving to Florida was that there are lenticular-like clouds here quite often. They form over the top of towering cumulonimbus clouds, presumably in the same manner as those forming over foothills and mountains. However, they are quite small. Occasionally I've seen them relatively isolated in the sky, but I assume they are forming in the same manner. CJSF One thing that surprised me after moving to Florida was that there are lenticular-like clouds here quite often. They form over the top of towering cumulonimbus clouds, presumably in the same manner as those forming over foothills and mountains. However, they are quite small. Occasionally I’ve seen them relatively isolated in the sky, but I assume they are forming in the same manner.

CJSF

]]> By: Larian LeQuella http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/10/21/lenticular-clouds-over-the-boulder-foothills/#comment-201095 Larian LeQuella Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:25:46 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=6247#comment-201095 Ugh, i hate lenticular clouds... Mountain wave turbulence. But yes, I will agree, they are cool to look at. Just in the aviation world, you want to avoid them. That and virga too. Unless you like replacing your fillings! Ugh, i hate lenticular clouds… Mountain wave turbulence.

But yes, I will agree, they are cool to look at. Just in the aviation world, you want to avoid them. That and virga too. Unless you like replacing your fillings!

]]> By: Just me http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/10/21/lenticular-clouds-over-the-boulder-foothills/#comment-201094 Just me Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:29:56 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/?p=6247#comment-201094 I need to look through my photo archives, because I know I saw and photographed a beautiful bank of lenticular clouds when I was driving across country once. <em>@14. Rob</em> Really? Salma Hayek is part of the Ramtha cult? I had such high thoughts of her until now. Sigh. I think the freakiest clouds I've seen were these <em>green</em> inverted cotton balls across the sky like an upside down mattress. I believe those are precursors to tornadoes. Is that true? It was <em>very</em> windy that day, but I never saw a tornado. I need to look through my photo archives, because I know I saw and photographed a beautiful bank of lenticular clouds when I was driving across country once.

@14. Rob
Really? Salma Hayek is part of the Ramtha cult? I had such high thoughts of her until now. Sigh.

I think the freakiest clouds I’ve seen were these green inverted cotton balls across the sky like an upside down mattress. I believe those are precursors to tornadoes. Is that true? It was very windy that day, but I never saw a tornado.

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