“Clouds are weightless” and other cloud myths

Artist extraordinaire James Grasdal is putting the finishing touches on the 13^th book in the Superman Duffy comic series— MYTHCONCEPTIONS. Which, you may have guessed has a little something to do with common “myths.” 

I love myths! So for this year’s A to Z Blogging Challenge, I’m going to “bust” as many of them as I can—every day (except Sundays) on the blog, throughout April. 

Not familiar with the A to Z Challenge? Get the details here, and then hang on, because I’m about to blow your mind with my myth-inspired posts. 

P.S. Comment on the blogs throughout the month for a chance to WIN a complete set of the Superman Duffy comics, including lucky #13, MYTHCONCEPTIONS.

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Clouds are weightless.

Sure, if you’re The Incredible Hulk, or something. That cute fluffy cloud you see in the sky actually weighs about the same as 100 elephants.

So where did this “weightless” myth come from? Good question, but the truth is, clouds are made up of water—about one half a gram of water per cubic meter, in fact. When you look up that cloud in the sky seems only a few feet big. In reality, it’s more like a kilometer. Cubed.

I know math isn’t my best subject but by my calculations—backed by Google—that cloud weighs about 500,000 kilograms, which is the approximate weight of 100 elephants or 7,000 people.  No wonder Chicken Little ran when he thought the “sky” was falling!

So if clouds are so heavy, this myth must be true: You could live in the clouds.

Sorry, wrong again. In the Superman Duffy comic Cloud 9, I—er, I mean, Chase—visits cities among the clouds, looking for a solution to Climate Change. Of course that’s fiction—but so is the idea that anyone could live on the clouds.

But what isn’t myth is that clouds actually have 10 times the impact on climate that man-made greenhouse-gas emissions do, particularly cirrus clouds, which are the wispy billows of ice you can sometimes see in the sky. As these clouds form, they can cover up to 30% of the Earth’s atmosphere at any given time, and as such have a BIG effect on the climate. I wonder if my grandpa knows that—he’s always wondering about whether his farming practices have an impact on Climate Change.

Busting these cloud myths hasn’t changed how I feel about them, though. In the summer, I like to stare up at the clouds and find different shapes—I’ve seen everything from people’s faces to monsters. And apparently I’m not alone. Check out THIS article!

If you think that’s spooky, check out this YouTube video of 10 Rare Cloud Formations:

Well, that’s enough science for one day—how about you? Check back tomorrow when I bust some DINOSAUR myths for my “D” post in the #AtoZChallenge. Have you visited any of the other blogs taking part in the challenge? Leave a link of your favourites so I can check them too!

~ Chase Superman Duffy

PS – Don’t forget to comment on this post, or share it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for a chance to WIN a complete set of theSuperman Duffy comics. A winner will be chosen at random on May 1.