M9 Clouds

Altocumulus clouds generally occur at several levels. You can expect to see large cloud sheets of poorly defined cloud types, from the relatively low, thick altocumulus to the relatively high, thin altostratus. There is often a mixture of low level and high level clouds also present in this type of sky. The clouds are usually made of water, but ice can also be present. If you are observing this cloud type, look for a slight bit of shading. Cirrocumulus clouds, which are much higher, have less shading. You will also notice the more defined edges of the clouds indicating more water than ice crystals are present. The clouds are also generally smaller in form than stratocumulus clouds.