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Clouds are white because light from the Sun is white. As light passes through a cloud, it interacts with the water droplets, which are much bigger than the atmospheric particles that exist in the sky.

When sunlight reaches an atmospheric particle in the sky, blue light is scattered away more strongly than other colors, giving the impression that the sky is blue.

But in a cloud, sunlight is scattered by much larger water droplets. These scatter all colors almost equally meaning that the sunlight continues to remain white and so making the clouds appear white against the background of the blue sky.

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Nikon Chakma

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2y ago
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11y ago

The whiteness of the clouds is due to light of all colors being dispersed by the water/ice of the clouds. Clouds quite a distance away appear yellow due to the blue wavelengths being dispered more than the yellow and red wavelengths by the air and particles in the air (the 'clear' sky is blue!)

Not all clouds are pure white, however, for those that are white, it is due to their altitude and the reflection of sunlight.

For example, a cirrus cloud has an altitude of approximately 8km above sea level. At such extreme altitudes all high-level clouds are made up only of ice crystals, as the water vapor from which they are initially formed has frozen.

The ice crystals reflect sunlight. When flying above clouds during the day, they are always bright white. When we get dark clouds, they are so thick that they soak up most of the sunlight or reflect it upwards, and so things aren't as bright below. Storm clouds are the thickest clouds, and look the darkest from down below, though they still look bright white if we see them from above.

Gray color of the clouds is caused by higher clouds casting their shadow on lower-based clouds, or that the clouds are so dense that their top parts absorb most of the sunlight, casting their own shadow along their base, making them dark on the bottom.

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9y ago

Clouds are made up of tiny water droplets that the sun's light to push through and scatter. The droplets are large enough to cover the entire cover spectrum when the light scatters through it, making them appear to be white.

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Wiki User

15y ago

White light from the sun consists of all the colors of the rainbow. Since light travels as waves of different lengths, each color has its very own unique wavelength.

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Luke Smith

Lvl 4
4y ago

clouds are actually black but are just kind o

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Wiki User

12y ago

cause water droplets

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Wiki User

14y ago

rises and cools down

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11y ago

Scattered ((:

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11y ago

Condenses

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Q: Clouds form because water vapor in the air?
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Related questions

What state of matter are clouds?

Although many people think they are in solid form or water vapor, clouds are actually liquid water. It's impossible for them to be water vapor, because vapor is invisible. Clouds are not invisible.


Why does water vapor need solid particles in the atmosphere to form clouds?

Particles are needed because then the water vapor can condense on them


How do you know that clouds aren't just composed of water vapor?

Actually, clouds aren't even water vapor! Water vapor is invisible, and clouds aren't invisible. Clouds are in the liquid form of water, believe it or not. There may be water in solid form if ice is present in the cloud, but otherwise, clouds are fully liquid water.


What is a sentence with water vapor?

Fog and clouds are a form of water vapor that can be seen.


What is water vapor and clouds?

Water vapor and clouds are the stages of the water cycle. The sun (without it water cycle count repeat.) shines on the water causing gas to form above the ground and in the air. This is called water vapor. Water vapor accumulates and forms clouds. Once dense enough from all the water vapor it will then precipate as raindrops.


What are clouds that are puffy and form shapes?

they are puffy because water is inside the cloud. They are called cumulus clouds and are formed, like all clouds, of water vapor.


What water vapor in the atmosphere to form clouds?

water vapors combine together in the air. They form clouds.


What form of water are low clouds made of?

Vapor, or water in its gas form


What Earth's water is in vapor form where is it found?

Clouds


What atmospheric gas forms clouds?

Clouds form when water vapor condenses into liquid water.


Clouds begin to form when water vapor in the air reaches the correct?

Clouds begin to form when water vapor reaches the correct: altitude, dew point, and temperature.


What part of the water cycle makes clouds?

Condensation