Cirrocumulus lenticularis is a type of cirrocumulus cloud

Cirrocumulus cloud

Cirrocumulus clouds are one of the three main types of high-altitude clouds, which also includes cirrus clouds and cirrostratus clouds. They usually occur at an altitude of to . Like other cumulus clouds, cirrocumulus clouds signify convection. Unlike other cirrus clouds, cirrocumulus include a...

. The name cirrocumulus lenticularis is derived from Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

, meaning "like a lentil". Cirrocumulus lenticularis are smooth clouds that have the appearance of a lens

Lens (optics)

A lens is an optical device with perfect or approximate axial symmetry which transmits and refracts light, converging or diverging the beam. A simple lens consists of a single optical element...

 or an almond

Almond

The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...

. They usually form at the crests of atmospheric waves, which would otherwise be invisible. This species of cirrocumulus can often be quite elongated and normally has very distinguished boundaries. Cirrocumulus lenticlaris forms when stable air is forced upward; this is usually due to orographic features, but can occur away from mountains as well. Irisation

Irisation

In meteorology, irisation, a type of photometeor, is multiple mixed iridescent colors caused by sunlight being diffracted in clouds. The colors are often brilliant and mingled together, sometimes similar to mother-of-pearl. They sometimes appear as bands parallel to the edge of the clouds...

can occasionally occur with these clouds.

External links

International Cloud Atlas - Cirrocumulus lenticularis