First International Cloudspotters Conference

Los expertos afirman que observar las nubes es bueno para la salud

• Los expertos afirman que observar las nubes es bueno para la salud

"Experts at the First International Cloudspotters Conference in Spain

say that observing clouds is good for your health"

Just in case you thought you might be the only one fascinated by clouds in your circle of friends, it may interest you to learn that the first International Conference for Cloudspotters was held in October in Galicia, Spain. Though only 80 people attended this celebration of clouds, the Cloud Appreciation Society - which currently boasts more than 31,000 members from around the world (20,000 of whom are from the U.K and 4,700 from the U.S) - reports "there were talks throughout the weekend by experts in meteorology, photography, music, astronomy, and anthropology." One of the presenters, Marcos Alvarez Merinero from the European Space Agency, presented on the observation of clouds from Space, and "Society founder Gavin Pretor-Pinney, though unable to attend in person, was beamed up onto the screen via Skype to open the conference. He welcomed the gathering and enthused about the importance of cloudspotting and why it is good for the soul." 

The gathering in Spain was hardly the first of its kind. Only a few months earlier, this past July, the second International Cloud Festival - not to be confused with the first International Conference for Cloudspotters - was held in Sligo, Ireland. The first "International Cloud Festival" was also held in Ireland, which only makes sense when you consider how many cloudy days present themselves for observation in that part of the world. Indeed, "cloudspotting" seems to be quite popular across Ireland and the U.K. And there's a lot to recommend it - free fun for the whole family, endlessly changing scenery, numerous photo ops, and opportunities for dreaming, meditation, and exercising one's imagination (apparently some cloudspotters make an art of figuring out what different clouds look like). To read more about the October conference, see photos and some of the many Spanish media reports, click here: Spain's First International Conference for Cloudspotters.