高積雲-棉絮鋪天 ... Wavy altocumulus clouds like fluffy cotton balls

香港的高積雲

(English at the bottom)

還記得五個月前的2018年12月11日，在臉書看見天文台發放在太平山頂拍攝維港上空的漫天雲絮照片，亦欣賞到網友上載各區所捕捉的雲絮美景。(這種雲稱為高積雲)

這次雲絮範圍遼闊，在港九新界多處也可飽覽。雲絮排列特別富構圖及線條美。雖已過了五個月，仍印象深刻，因此記錄下來：

2:24 p.m. 漸見端倪
Wavy clouds creeping in.

2:34 p.m. 十分鐘後，高積雲鋪天蓋地
In just 10 minutes' time, overwhelmed.

2:38 p.m. 風將雲塑造，右邊雲洞擴大
Clouds sculptured by the wind.

2:40 p.m. 高積雲的壯觀，令山顯得渺小
Panoramic clouds

2:41 p.m. 高積雲的波浪美
Wavy pattern

2:43 p.m. 前後二十分鐘，中間的波浪紋漸模糊
In 20 minutes' time, the wavy pattern started to dismantle

2:44 p.m. 垂直拍攝，發現近距的高空，高積雲雲絮仍清晰
The wavy pattern was still quite clearly seen ahead.

2:07 p.m. 另一景，漫天高積雲棉絮
Another shot earlier on.

為甚麼不少人都會覺得這種景色美麗壯觀呢？大概人類對景色有些共通的感覺，例如藍天白雲排列有序雅緻。

除此以外，還有一位主角，就是充沛的陽光。陽光的功用，不止像小時課本所說，為地球帶來温暖、光合作用令植長生長、為萬物添上色彩，原來對人的身心也有重要影響，例如調節生理時鐘及情緒。題外話，有學者研究更指出，受戶外全光譜的陽光照射，可延緩衰老，因此呼籲人多出戶外！陽光原來功用這麼多，真奇妙！

Clouds like fluffy cotton balls

In the afternoon of 11 Dec 2018, I witnessed an unforgettable scenery. Clouds, which were like fluffy cotton balls, were widely spread in wavy patterns across the sky in many areas. 

Why are people commonly attracted to this kind of natural phenomenon? Maybe, human beings share impressions and feelings in common, e.g. white clouds in a blue sky, clouds with interesting patterns, etc. 

Actually, abundant sunlight also plays a significant role. The functions of sunlight are not just giving warmth, photosynthesis, and giving colors to this world. Sunlight in fact affects human beings both physically and psychologically, e.g. to regulate the biological clock in our brain and to make us feel happy and activated. A researcher has even pointed out that outdoor sunlight could delay our aging process! How amazing is sunlight, with so many functions and benefits!