Stacked

A lenticular cloud glows with the dawn light above Green Mountain and the Flatiron formation in Boulder Colorado. Technically known as “Altocumulus Standing Lenticular” these clouds form when air is forced up by mountains oriented perpindicularly to the flowing wind. At the crest of their movement clouds will form if there is sufficient moisture, shaped like flying saucers or pancakes, reflecting the gravitational spread of the deflected air. I’m unsure what causes the stacking that we see here. While the cloud appears stationary, the air is moving very quickly. The shape may change with time as the wind velocity changes. This cloud elongated after I took this photo (see future posts and link listed below).

 

While it looks like I’ve gotten carried away with the saturation and vibrance sliders, I’ve actually toned this down a bit. If you visit this link and input the date as Feb 6, 2016, starting at 6:45 am and ending at 7:30 am, you can see just how bright this cloud became, and watch the shape change with time. (#2)

Done