PICTURES OF SUNRISE (See centre pages) By G. L. STOLLERY The first five of the following photographs were taken on mornings of the Weather and Flight course at Preston Montford in September 1959, and the last was taken at Land's End in July 1958. They show the great variety and con- trasts of colour of which successive sunrises are capable. In the first the sky glows golden, in the second and third the clouds are golden but the sky blue and the clouds in the third and fourth are purple derived from the blue sky and the golden red direct sunlight. At the equinox the sun rises most quickly and the changes in colour in a few minutes are most dramatic. Rapid changes in cloud forms also occur then. The orographic c i m s of the fifth soon moved away without being renewed when the sun came up, and the wave clouds shifted continuously. The stratocumulus in the second picture is also orographic while the fragments of low cloud in the third are turbulence cloud produced as the mixing in the lowest layers increases around sunrise. At dawn the freshness of the blue sky when at last it appears is most exhilarating. In the last picture the whole upper sky is blue before the land is out of the shadows and only the tops of the cumulus over S. Wales are directly illuminated. Owing to its distance from sources of pollution and its low altitude among fairly distant hills, Preston Montford is probably the best of the Field Centres for observing a great variety of weathers. METEOROLOGICAL POSTMARKS By F. E. DIXON OR some years there has been a growing trend among philatelists to study F postmarks as well as, or even instead of, the stamps. And postmark collecting is likely to boom further in 1961, since this year includes the ter- centenary of postmarks. It is therefore appropriate to survey the possibilities of a meteorological collection. First, and easiest, is the finding of the postmarks of places having important observing stations. Illustration (I) (Fig. I, p. 85) dates from the time when the reports from Valencia (now spelt with a ' t ') often gave European forecasters the first sign of new Atlantic depressions. It was at a time when synoptic messages were sent by telegraph so that quite small places had offices for handling weather messages. Such an office was Roche's Point in Co. Cork. Its postmark is a rarity and the office is long closed, the telegraph having been replaced by telephone and teleprinter. 83

PICTURES OF SUNRISE (See centre pages)

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Page 1: PICTURES OF SUNRISE (See centre pages)

PICTURES OF SUNRISE (See centre pages) By G. L. STOLLERY

The first five of the following photographs were taken on mornings of the Weather and Flight course at Preston Montford in September 1959, and the last was taken at Land's End in July 1958. They show the great variety and con- trasts of colour of which successive sunrises are capable. In the first the sky glows golden, in the second and third the clouds are golden but the sky blue and the clouds in the third and fourth are purple derived from the blue sky and the golden red direct sunlight.

At the equinox the sun rises most quickly and the changes in colour in a few minutes are most dramatic. Rapid changes in cloud forms also occur then. The orographic c ims of the fifth soon moved away without being renewed when the sun came up, and the wave clouds shifted continuously. The stratocumulus in the second picture is also orographic while the fragments of low cloud in the third are turbulence cloud produced as the mixing in the lowest layers increases around sunrise.

At dawn the freshness of the blue sky when at last it appears is most exhilarating. In the last picture the whole upper sky is blue before the land is out of the shadows and only the tops of the cumulus over S. Wales are directly illuminated.

Owing to its distance from sources of pollution and its low altitude among fairly distant hills, Preston Montford is probably the best of the Field Centres for observing a great variety of weathers.

METEOROLOGICAL POSTMARKS By F. E. DIXON

OR some years there has been a growing trend among philatelists to study F postmarks as well as, or even instead of, the stamps. And postmark collecting is likely to boom further in 1961, since this year includes the ter- centenary of postmarks. It is therefore appropriate to survey the possibilities of a meteorological collection.

First, and easiest, is the finding of the postmarks of places having important observing stations. Illustration (I) (Fig. I, p. 85) dates from the time when the reports from Valencia (now spelt with a ' t ') often gave European forecasters the first sign of new Atlantic depressions. It was at a time when synoptic messages were sent by telegraph so that quite small places had offices for handling weather messages. Such an office was Roche's Point in Co. Cork. Its postmark is a rarity and the office is long closed, the telegraph having been replaced by telephone and teleprinter.