These “flowers” blossom as two injected chemicals react in the narrow space between two transparent plates. The chemical reaction produces a darker ring that develops a streaky outer edge due Keep reading
Tag: convection
Stormy Skies
Photographer Mitch Dobrowner captures the majestic and terrifying power of storms in his black and white images. Towering turbulence, swirling vortices, and convective clouds abound. See more of his work Keep reading
“Reverent”
Today, enjoy this moody black-and-white short film of storm timelapses. Photographer Mike Olbinski is a master of this subject. I never tire of watching his towering convective supercell thunderstorms or Keep reading
When Bubbles Don’t Die
In a pure liquid, most bubbles pop almost immediately. But with a simple ingredient — a little heat — bubbles can live almost indefinitely. The mechanism is revealed in this Keep reading
“Fire and Fusion”
Photographer Andrew McCarthy constructed this spectacular 300-megapixel image of our sun by compositing thousands of individual images. Sunspots, coronal mass ejections, and feathery convective swirls abound. Check out his site Keep reading
Making Lava Lamps
Since their invention in the 1960s, lava lamps have been a fascinating example of convection in action. In this video, we see how they’re manufactured, including blowing the glass bottles, Keep reading
Betelgeuse’s Flickering
Between November 2019 and March 2020 Betelgeuse, the red supergiant star in the constellation Orion’s left shoulder, experienced what’s being called the Great Dimming. Usually, the star is one of Keep reading
Why Food Sticks to Nonstick Pans
Whether you’re cooking with ceramic, Teflon, or a well-seasoned cast iron pan, it seems like food always wants to stick. It’s not your imagination: it’s fluid dynamics. As the thin 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
Rocket Yeast
Usually, microbial colonies are grown on a solid substrate, but what happens when they grow on a liquid surface? That’s the question explored in this Gallery of Fluid Motion video Keep reading