Nephology is the study of clouds, suspended masses of water and ice floating above us. There are 27 different sub-types of cloud - from the wispy to the ominous - inspiring poems, paintings and the hasty bringing-in of the washing

Fluffy and elusive, clouds are the castles in the sky whose towering presence and transience captures our imagination. Made of tiny water droplets and ice crystals, they may be as ethereal as wedding gauze or as solid and lumpy as a misshapen meringue. Clouds trap and reflect sunlight, creating a comfortable climate and bringing life-sustaining water to the land. They also bring severe storms, monsoonal rains and flash flooding, and are a constant influence in our lives.