ATMOSPHERICS: Are Clouds Confused with UFOs?

 Clouds are a critical and natural aspect of life on planet earth. They are part of the system of rain, weather, and winds that make life possible on the Earth.  At one time people were keenly aware of every type of natural object found in the skies - knew that some love to be diverse and offer something new occasionally - and formed a cycle that was natural and needed.  Today, when our gazes are too often focused on a small electronic device in our hands and not the natural world around us - some can get confused.  There are a few photos and videos of people who have confused natural cloud formations with "UFO's." The top image is one example. It is a lenticular cloud formation and can be an impressive "saucer shaped" object hovering grandly in a sky.  They are often stationary or appear so for long periods of time. They can be captured in full sunlight as seen below or in a fading sunlight that paints them gold and pink with shadows emphasizing the saucer or cigar shape of the cloud.

This is a lenticular cloud seen in Palm Desert (which is adjacent to Palm Springs, CA) in April 2008.}} |Source=Own work by uploader |Author=Jackiemu |Date=April 2008 |Permission= |other_versions= }} <

This chart shows of main types of clouds seen and the various heights they will be seen in the skies. 

The weather service (NOAA) and the space service (NASA) have captured photos of some of the numerous clouds seen as they traverse the skies forming or dissipating in their trek in the water-rain-evaporation cycle that our small blue dot of a planet requires to survive. 

Clouds are often soft, diffused around the edges giving a fluffy or puffy appearance. Sometimes there might be sharp angles but they seldom last long. Ask anyone who has ever lain on a grassy yard to watch the cloud animals change and morph into something else under the winds crafting them with the caprice of a sculpting child. 

They may - for a time look sharp and strange - especially those lenticular clouds. Stick around, soon it will seen how they respond to the winds tugging at them, pushing them onward, or breaking them apart in total. 

Many cases in Project Blue Book explained sightings as "clouds" misidentified, or other odd atmospheric phenomena such as "Sun dogs", "Ice Pillars", and other rare but normal and natural sights. A few people caught reflections and clouds and tried to pass them off as UFO's. These were easily explained for what they really were. 

 A serious searcher into the unknown will take the time to explore the known about this planet and understand how people unfamiliar with their own environment can mistake a cloud for a UFO.