The spectacular sunsets and cloud patterns of Connemara, Co Galway Ireland, a seascape of mountains, headlands and moorlands produces extensive cloud, sunset and sky colours daily and nightly on the horizon. The attached series of photographs provide a photographic record of some of these daily phenomena. The region of Connemara west of Galway city provides an extensive vista of scenery and a patchwork of stone walled small fields that lent its name to the region of ice fractured terrain on Europa a moon of Jupiter called Connemara Chaos.
A Rainbow Across a Moorland
A rainbow resembles a single, multi-coloured arch, however the observer sees different colours from many different raindrops. Each drop reflects sunlight of all colours with one colour reaching the observer from each drop. The colour the drop reflects to the observer's eye depends on its height and angle in relation to the observer. The attached second photograph shows a large rainbow across a moorland and set against a mountain range. This rainbow remained in place for 50 minutes when the rain stopped.
Red Sky at Night Shepherd's Delight
The first and title photograph recorded a curtain of altocumulus cloud underlit by the setting sun in a December sky against an extensive horizon. This cloud pattern forecasts rain or snow closing in, however the following day was cloudy with little rain.
High Altitude, Wind Sculpted Clouds
This photograph, the third, was taken in August during the northern hemisphere summer, at sunset with two sets of clouds. The high altitude clouds, Altocumulus Lenticularis formed from clouds rising up over mountains or headlands and continue up and down in waves with these clouds forming at the crests of each wave. They resemble flying saucers. The lower clouds are stratocumulus, long rolling clouds in a summer evening sky.
A Setting Sun on a Summer's Evening
The fourth photograph, taken on a warm summer evening shows three types of cloud:
- Cumulus Humilis small puffs of cloud made by rising bubbles of warm air cooling below their dew point. They form and disperse rapidly.
- Cumulus Mediocris medium sized cumulus clouds are formed by rising pockets of warm air. Their flat bases mark the height where the air reaches its dew point and condensation begins.
- Cumulus Congestus These clouds are unlike smaller cumulus clouds, however they are large enough to produce showers of rain.
Sources
- Weather, Usborne Spotter's Guides by Judy Tatchell, Usborne Publishing, 2006
- From Weather Vanes to Satellites by Spiegel and Gruber, John Wiley and Sons 1983
Michael Manning - ' The best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity' W.B.Yeats
