Why are humidity and clouds different? Why is one invisible while the other isn’t? And why would humidity not clump together like clouds do?
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>Why are humidity and clouds different? Why is one invisible while the other isn’t?
* Humidity is gaseous water mixed in with the air. So like individual water molecules, in the gas phase.
* Clouds are (tiny) droplets of liquid water suspended in the air. Each tiny droplet has millions+ of molecules of water in liquid phase. That’s why it’s opaque, it’s not gas phase water any more. The tiny drops scatter light so you can’t see through it like normal liquid water either.
>And why would humidity not clump together
You’re right, water loves sticking together and forming droplets. But at any given temperature, there is enough heat/ thermal energy to keep a certain amount of water evaporated in the gas phase (as humidity) too. The warmer the air, the more humidity can be kept in gas phase before his clumping together into droplets begins. For a given amount of humidity, the temperature where the air gets saturated and starts condensing water is called the *dew point*. If the temperature falls below this point, there isn’t enough heat to keep the water all evaporated and it DOES start clumping together into droplets.
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