No one likes a cloudy sky. A cloud on the horizon is seen as a harbinger of doom. We feel like clouds need to have silver linings.

But here's our thesis: Clouds are unfairly maligned.

Consider this: From almost any vantage point (literally -- any vantage point in the universe), clouds are planet Earth's defining characteristic.

They're what changes, what moves. They're what's going on on our pale blue dot.

Clouds are, after all, the vehicle that spreads the sun's energy across the planet, an "expression of the atmosphere's moods."

This hour, an appreciation of clouds.

GUESTS:

• Gavin Pretor-Pinney - Founder of The Cloud Appreciation Society, author of The Cloudspotter's Guide and The Cloud Collector's Handbook
• David Romps - Assistant professor of Earth & Planetary Science at the University of California, Berkeley; runs The Romps Group, which studies clouds and climate
• Karolina Sobecka - An interdisciplinary artist and designer whose work has focused repeatedly on clouds

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe and Betsy Kaplan contributed to this show, which originally aired July 6, 2016.

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