Anyone in Amherst on July 4, 2016, will remember this sky – nature's own fireworks over the annual festivities. Many submitted versions of this scene, but we loved Marian Wolfsun's unedited capture of its extraordinary brilliance.
Cloudspotters will recognize these clouds as altocumulus – specifically, I'd call this altocumulus stratiformis radiatus. (Cloudspotters can happily debate the finer points, of course.) The long, parallel bands create that wonderful sense of perspective as they converge toward the horizon, while the sunset transforms them into what almost looks like brushstrokes across the sky.
Altocumulus are a perennial favorite around here. There's something irresistible about the way these mid-level clouds gather into ripples and rows, turning ordinary sunrises and sunsets into something unforgettable. We can't promise they'll always steal the show on the Fourth of July... but in 2016, they most certainly did.
May all your gatherings this month be equally radiant. ☁️✨
This is the featured photo for July in our 2026 Head in the Clouds Amherst wall calendar. As a reminder, for our final 2026 calendar, the jury selected favorite images from more than a decade of past calendars rather than issuing an open call. This photograph originally appeared in the 2017 calendar.
