The Martian atmosphere lacks the density to support tornado storm systems, but vortices are nevertheless a frequent occurrence. As sun-warmed gases rise, neighboring air rushes in, bringing with it any Keep reading
Category: Phenomena
Channeling Espresso
Coffee-making continues to be a rich source for physics insight. The roasting and brewing processes are fertile ground for chemistry, physics, and engineering. Recently, one research group has focused on Keep reading
Salt Fingers
Any time a fluid under gravity has areas of differing density, it convects. We’re used to thinking of this in terms of temperature — “hot air rises” — but temperature Keep reading
Winter in Chicago
Fresh winter snow blankets Chicago in this satellite image. Over on Lake Michigan, ice dots the coastline out to about 20 kilometers from shore. Darker regions near land mark thinner Keep reading
Chaotic Hose Instability
Steve Mould is back with another video looking at wild fluid behaviors. This time he’s considering hose instabilities like the one that makes a water-carrying hose beyond a certain length Keep reading
Twisting in the Flow
What happens to liquid crystals in a flow? In this video, researchers look at liquid crystals flowing through the narrow gap of a microfluidic device. Initially, all the crystals are Keep reading
Growing Ice
While much attention is given to the summer loss of sea ice, the birth of new ice in the fall is also critical. Ice loss in the summer leaves oceans Keep reading
A Stellar Look at NGC 602
The young star cluster NGC 602 sits some 200,000 light years away in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Seen here in near- and mid-infrared, the cluster is a glowing cradle of Keep reading
Imaging a New Era of Supersonic Travel
Supersonic commercial travel was briefly possible in the twentieth century when the Concorde flew. But the window-rattling sonic boom of that aircraft made governments restrict supersonic travel over land. Now Keep reading
Salt Affects Particle Spreading
Microplastics are proliferating in our oceans (and everywhere else). This video takes a look at how salt and salinity gradients could affect the way plastics move. The researchers begin with Keep reading