Convection cells like these are all around us — in the clouds, on the Sun, and in our pans — but we rarely get to watch them in action. Convection Keep reading
Tag: convection cell
Explaining Salt Polygons
Around the world, salt playas are criss-crossed with meter-sized polygons formed by ridges of salt. The origins of these structures — and the reason for their consistency across different regions Keep reading
Cellular Clouds
Though tough to make out from the surface, our oceans are often covered by cell-shaped clouds stretching thousands of kilometers. This satellite image shows off two such types of marine Keep reading
Self-Propelled Droplets
Drops of ethanol on a heated surface contract and self-propel as they evaporate. My first thought upon seeing this was of Leidenfrost drops, but the surface is not nearly hot Keep reading
Eyes on the Sun
Though it may look like the Eye of Sauron, this image is actually one of our best-ever glimpses of a sunspot. Captured by the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, this Keep reading
New Details on the Sun’s Surface
As part of its shakedown, the new Inouye Solar Telescope has captured the surface of the sun in stunning new detail. Seen here are some of the sun’s turbulent convection Keep reading
Bringing the Stars Home
One of my favorite aspects of fluid dynamics is the way that the same patterns and phenomena appear over and over again – sometimes in the most unexpected places. That’s Keep reading
Convection Without Heat
We typically think of convection in terms of temperature differences, but the real driver is density. In the animations above, cream sitting atop a liqueur is undergoing solutal convection – Keep reading
Convection Without Heat
Glycerol is a sweet, highly viscous fluid that’s very good at absorbing moisture from the ambient air. That’s why a drop of pure glycerol in laboratory conditions quickly develops convection Keep reading
Flow Inside Convection Cells
Looking at convective cells, it’s easy to think that they are still and unmoving. But when you add particles, their inner flow becomes obvious. Warm, light fluid moves up through Keep reading