Why do some clouds look white and others nearly black?

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Why do some clouds look white and others nearly black?

In: Physics

2 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Remember black isn’t a colour it’s just the absence of light. A very “watery” cloud that’s about to rain is dense, so it stops light from passing through it.

A white or translucent cloud is just letting a lot more light through.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Clouds scatter light evenly, meaning a small portion of it it goes into space. Meanwhile, another portion gets absorbed and turned into heat. The thicker the cloud, the more is reflected/absorbed, and the less makes it to the ground. Therefore, it looks darker.