Large anvil clouds, Amazon, Brazil Mar 23, 2024

Large anvil clouds, Amazon, Brazil

"When clouds appear like rocks and towers, the Earth"s refreshed with frequent showers"—there"s a whisper of truth to this old proverb for the storm clouds, also known as cumulonimbus or anvil clouds, captured in this celestial portrait. Originating from the Latin words "cumulus" meaning "heaped" and "nimbus" meaning "rainstorm," Cumulonimbus describes a towering cloud that develops vertically due to water vapour condensation, when the lower portion is propelled upward by strong uplifting air currents. These towering behemoths are not just sky-dwellers; they are the architects of thunderstorms and severe weather conditions. A wanderer in the sky, on their collapse, they undergo a transformative two-stage journey downstream. These celestial nomads boast lifetimes of six to twelve hours, while some lasting even longer.

© NASA

palette

Today in History

Mar 23, 2025Lightning and storm clouds at sunset near Bowman, Nebraska, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 5, 2024Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil
Jan 16, 2026Leopard at Etosha National Park, Namibia
Feb 26, 2025Castle Stalker, Argyll, Scotland
Jul 16, 2024Skara Brae, Scotland
Oct 23, 2024Madame Sherri Forest, New Hampshire, United States
Mar 14, 2026Lanyon Quoit, a Neolithic dolmen in Cornwall, England
Nov 7, 2024Vancouver Coastal Sea wolves
Mar 7, 2024Roques de Benet, Catalonia, Spain
Apr 12, 2024Arches National Park, Utah, USA
Oct 21, 2025Cap dAntibes, Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur, France
Jul 2, 2024Italica, an old Roman city in Santiponce, Andalusia, Spain
Sep 29, 2024West Cornwall Covered Bridge, Connecticut, USA
Nov 1, 2024Vineyards in Varnhalt, Black Forest, Germany
Mar 12, 2026Juvenile sunbittern displaying at nest, Ecuador
Mar 22, 2024Blue Spring, Te Waihou Walkway, New Zealand
Dec 18, 2023Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA
Apr 13, 2025Wat Tang Sai Temple, Thailand
Jul 29, 2025Bengal tiger, India
Nov 1, 2025Bison, Yellowstone National Park
Feb 9, 2024Pegadung Rock, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia
Sep 17, 2025A young bull moose
Nov 18, 2023Polar bear mother and cubs
Dec 26, 2024Christmas lights at Mousehole harbour, Cornwall, England
Jul 15, 2025Great Basin National Park, Nevada, United States
Mar 8, 2024Iguazú Falls, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
Nov 19, 2023Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve, Estonia
Jan 12, 2024Bukhansan National Park, South Korea
Sep 7, 2024Annas hummingbird
Jan 19, 2024Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
Mar 16, 2026Cable car and Sugarloaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil