three separate off duty commercial aviators photographed cumulonimbus clouds illuminated by flashes of lightning from their planes.
otherwise known as thunderclouds, cumulonimbus are the only cloud type that can produce hail, thunder and lighting. the base of the cloud is often flat with a very dark wall like feature hanging underneath, and may only lie a few hundred feet above the earth’s surface.
cumulonimbus clouds are created through convection, often growing from small cumulus clouds over a hot surface.they get increasingly big until they represent huge powerhouses, storing the same amount of energy as ten hiroshima sized atom bombs.
although the storm looks formidable, today’s airliners have advanced equipment to circle around storms this big without entering any dangerous zones.
These photos kept reminding me of something, and then I realized what it was:
“You can’t help but notice the sky in American Gods. Looming stormclouds and rainbow nebulae dominate the view during outdoor scenes, evoking a sense of religious wonder. The message is: humans are very small, and there’s a lot going beyond our understanding.”
It’s not exactly unusual for filmmakers to use beautiful shots of the sky, because, you know, it’s the damn sky. It’s everywhere. But American Gods incorporates a surprising amount of CGI sky in otherwise ~normal scenes, adding a sense of heightened reality. It’s reminiscent of the way old cathedrals were designed to inspire awe by being huge and cavernous and impressive. And IMO it shows a great understanding of Neil Gaiman’s approach to fantasy, which holds true across most of his work: set in the “real” world, with weird dark shit looming in the background.