It is an atmospheric phenomenon, an aerosol like suspension composed of large numbers of minute

particles of water and/or ice. The appearance of clouds is determined by the size and number of
particles it has and the lighting around it:

The appearance of a cloud is determined by the nature, sizes, number and distribution in space of its
constituent particles; it also depends on the intensity and colour[sic] of the light received by the cloud
and on the relative positions of observer and source of light (luminary) with respect to the cloud."
Appearance is best described in terms of the dimensions, shape, structure, texture, luminance and
colour[sic] of the cloud. These factors will be considered for each of the characteristic cloud forms [pg9].

We see clouds because of its luminance. That is a term used to describe:

[…] light reflected, scattered and transmitted by its constituent particles. This light comes, for the most
part, direct from the luminary or from the sky; it may also come from the surface of the earth, being
particularly strong when sunlight or moonlight is reflected by ice- or snow-fields.. The luminance of a
cloud may be modified by intervening haze. [pg9].

So fine was the morning except for a streak of wind here and there that the sea and sky looked all one
fabric, as if sails were stuck high up in the sky, or the clouds had dropped down into the