Field record · cloud
Cirrostratus veil
A broad whitish veil may cover much of the sky while the Sun or Moon remains visible; a halo can be an important clue.
factscale · highstructure · sheet
How it forms
A high-level ice-crystal cloud layer spreads as a transparent or translucent veil and can participate in halo displays.
What separates it from a neighbor
More sheet-like than cirrus; generally thinner and more translucent than altostratus.
Representation boundary
Preserve translucency and subtle contrast instead of painting the layer as an opaque gray ceiling.
Evidence boundary. This page separates a sourced formation explanation from the editorial “visual character” phrase above. A single image or casual observation may not contain enough context to classify a real phenomenon confidently.
Sources used for this record
WMO International Cloud Atlas — Cloud generainstitutional standard
Ten cloud genera and classification structure.
Open source ↗WMO International Cloud Atlas — Definitions of cloudsinstitutional standard
Approximate cloud levels and genera.
Open source ↗WMO International Cloud Atlas — 22° haloinstitutional standard
Definition and identifying geometry of the 22-degree halo.
Open source ↗