Insane Cloud Formations

There's something so captivating and otherworldy about cloud formations, they're so wondrous in the sense that they put the vastness of our world into perspective for us, and reminds us that we don't own the planet, that it indeed owns us. There is so much beyond this world to explore and discover. While it was relatively easy to put together this collection due to the huge number of crazy cloud pictures available online, many of the phenomena shown here are pretty rare…and potentially panic-inducing. These photos remind us that when we stare nature in the face, it's ambivalent to us - it sees us as simply a piece of meat, devoid of experience, life, emotions - in this way, we understand our "smallness" within the vastness of this world. Only when we are at the mercy of the environment do we understand our fragility and does it jolt us out of our self-centered condition.

Asperatus formation, Canterbury, New Zealand

This one's so rare it doesn't even have official classification. "Undulatus asperatus" is its proposed designation, and if accepted as a new form by meteorologists, it'll be the first such addition since 1951. As of now, it's just another example of New Zealand having the coolest freakin' landscapes.

 Shelf cloud, Cape Cod, MA

Not a great day at the beach when you see this rolling your way. This shot was taken over Race Point in June, 2012.

Altocumulus from the ISS

Altocumulus formations usually comprise many individual cloudlets and take shape at heights of 6,500 to 23,000 feet. The whorls visible in this altocumulus layer, as seen from the International Space Station, are caused by two regions of ocean air moving at different speeds.

Noctilucent clouds over the Tibetan Plateau

Sometimes a little water vapor makes it 50 miles up into the mesospheric layer of the atmosphere and freezes to create noctilucent clouds. Again, the ISS provides a unique perspective from which to photograph these super rare formations, illuminated by an obscured sun.

Mammatus, Salem, OR

The photographer has labelled these as mammatus clouds, though I'm not that's what's going on. Can anyone confirm / refute?

"God in the Clouds," Mt. Baker, Washington

The quote comes from the photographer, who picked out some distinct facial features in this formation over Mt. Baker in northern Washington in August of 2008.

Cumulonimbus, Ft. Worth, TX

More powerful storm activity over Ft. Worth. This is a detailed look at part of a massive cumulonimbus formation from May of 2011, which appears to have some supercell updraft potential.

Noctilucent clouds, Viljandimaa, Estonia

Here's another example of the highest-forming cloud type (as much as 50 miles up in the atmosphere). In the foreground is Kuresoo bog, in southern Estonia, which provides a pretty amazing reflection scenario.

Glories and vortices, Baja

The intended subjects of this NASA satellite image are the very faint north-south-running lines of color, known as "glories," visible to the west of Guadalupe Island. I included it here because I like the more apparent von karman vortices, the swirls trailing off to the island's south.

HDR Mammatus, NYC

Somehow fitting that this shot was taken in Hells Kitchen.