Clouds in Earth's sky
A cloud was a visible mass of water vapor or frozen crystals floating in the atmosphere above the surface of a planet or other planetary body. The term also informally referred a mass of matter drawn together by gravity that resembled a cloud, such as billowing smoke. For example, nebulae were sometimes known as interstellar dust clouds. (TOS: "The Immunity Syndrome")
Clouds were responsible for producing precipitation; a common consequence of water vapor clouds on planets was the meteorological phenomenon known as rain or snow. Storms, lightning, and thunder were also associated with clouds.
One type of cloud was the cumulonimbus. Low-level clouds very near or at a planet's surface were called fog.
Fighter jets sometimes flew under the clouds. (TOS: "Tomorrow is Yesterday")
Watching clouds was a pastime enjoyed by some. In 2267, Spock and Leila Kalomi watched the clouds on Omicron Ceti III. He commented that one looked like a dragon. It was something he'd never taken the time to do before. (TOS: "This Side of Paradise")
The arrival of the Whale Probe to Earth 2286 caused massive shifts in cloud cover across the planet, of at least 78.6%. Specifically, Juneau, Alaska, was reported to have cloud coverage of 95%; Tokyo had total cloud cover; and Leningrad, in addition to losing all electrical power, had 100% cloud cover. This caused temperatures to decrease rapidly. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)
Clouds also appeared on other planets, such as P'Jem and Angel I. (ENT: "The Andorian Incident"; TNG: "Angel One")
Clouds on the holodeck
The holographic program having Natasha Yar speak to her friends following her death included several clouds (TNG: "Skin Of Evil") as well as the holographic recreation of Café des Artistes in Paris on Earth. (TNG: "We'll Always Have Paris")
Janeway watching the clouds
In 2371, after the USS Voyager landed on a planet in the Delta Quadrant, Captain Kathryn Janeway watched the clouds through the windows of her ready room. (VOY: "The 37's")
When Vexilon, the environmental control computer of Corazonia, malfunctioned during an operating system update in 2381, the clouds over the Dyson ring's interior surface froze solid and fell to the ground. (LD: "In the Cradle of Vexilon")
See also[]
- Ash cloud
- "Black cloud"
- Cirrus IV
- Cloud creature
- Dust cloud
- Gas cloud
- Metreon cloud
- Nimbus III
- Stratos