Drops that impact a very hot surface will surf on their own vapor, and ones that hit a very cold surface will freeze almost immediately. But what happens when the temperature differences Keep reading
Tag: condensation
Rivers in the Sky
The water cycle is quite a bit more complicated than what we learn in elementary school, and the environment around us contributes to that cycle in invisible but vital ways. Keep reading
Growing Droplets
The moisture in clouds eventually condenses into droplets that grow into raindrops and fall. Some steps in this process are well understood, but others are not. In particular, scientists have Keep reading
Pyrocumulus on the Horizon
View this post on Instagram Time lapse of yesterday’s rare Pyrocumulus clouds churning high above the Idyllwild hellscape, bringing with them strong winds, the threat of lightning and turbulence that Keep reading
Collecting Fog
In some parts of the world, fog is a major source of freshwater, but collecting it is a challenge. Most systems use a wire mesh to capture and collect droplets, Keep reading
Wave Clouds
Stripe-like wave clouds can often form downstream of mountains. This satellite image shows such clouds in the South Pacific where rocky mountains jut 600 meters (2,000 ft) above the sea. Keep reading
Cloud Chambers
Cloud chambers were one of the first methods used to study radioactive decay and cosmic particles. Such chambers are filled with a cool, supersaturated cloud of alcohol vapor. When high-energy Keep reading
The Drinking Bird
At first glance, the drinking bird is a simple desk toy, but the physics and engineering behind the device is clever enough to have challenged many great minds. In this Keep reading
“Breathe”
In black and white, the towering power of a thunderstorm looks almost apocalyptic. Photographer Mike Olbinski’s latest storm timelapse, “Breathe,” features roiling turbulence, distant downpours, and eerie mammatus clouds. Supercell thunderstorms Keep reading
Jumping Droplets
Condensation, which removes heat by changing a vapor into a liquid, is a common feature in industrial heat transfer. When droplets form on surfaces, they typically have to grow to Keep reading