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Here are some cool cumulonimbus cloud pictures. You can make any of these images into your computer desktop wallpaper. Just click on an image to enlarge it, and then choose “Set as Desktop Background”.
Earth Limb and Clouds over Open Ocean
This is a nice oblique view of the cumulonimbus clouds taken during the STS-1 mission on April 14, 1981. Cumulonimbus clouds are often associated with thunderstorms like what we see in the image above. Cyclonic spiral gyres are visibly developing within the clouds.
Thunderstorms, Indian Ocean
Here’s an image of thunderstorm clouds over the Indian Ocean. This was captured by the STS-35 mission crew member on December 10, 1990. The peak of cumulonimbus clouds can reach up to 75,000 feet tall.
Thunderstorms over Brazil
This amazing image of thunderstorm clouds over Brazil was captured by an astronaut on February 1984 from the space shuttle Challenger during the STS-41B mission.
Earth observation photo of cloud cover over Zaire
This is a nice photo of cumulonimbus clouds over Zaire taken from the Space Shuttle Challenger on April 4, 1983. Cumulonimbus clouds are characterized by tall and dense clouds like the one we see in the image above.
Storm clouds over New Guinea
This is a view of the storm clouds or cumulonimbus clouds over New Guinea as seen by the crew members of the STS-35 mission on December 10, 1990. These kind of clouds is a result of atmospheric instability.
We have written many articles about the cumulonimbus cloud for Universe Today. Here’s an article about cumulonimbus clouds, and here’s an article about the different cloud formations.
If you’d like more info on cumulonimbus clouds, check out Visible Earth Homepage. And here’s a link to NASA’s Earth Observatory.
We’ve also recorded an episode of Astronomy Cast all about planet Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.
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