Rainbows look amazing… And no wonder, because they contain all the colours in the visible light spectrum, from violet (on the outside) to red (on the inside)… All, except one: magenta, which is a combination of red and violet.
A rainbow doesn’t remain still, but moves in relation to where you see it from. That makes it harder to find the mythical pot of gold.
The rainbow is in fact present only on your retina, a result of light being reflected through water droplets suspended in the air. These droplets act as prisms and break down the light passing through them.
And even the number of colours seen has changed with the ages: Aristotle saw only 3 colours, whereas we see 7 (since Newton).
A drop of water is not the tear drop shape we often give it, and for a good reason: it is completely round!
Even falling at several metres/second (around 8 metres/second in a downpour), a raindrop is perfectly spherical. It holds this shape due to its molecular structure, so the lines we perceive when it rains are actually an illusion…
Droplets are never more than 6 millimetres in diameter because at that point, the forces that hold them together become weaker than the forces pulling them apart, so they explode!
Rain comes from lakes, the seas, and from vegetation.
Water vapour is generated from moisture evaporating in the environment (bodies of water), and from the “sweating” of plants. This water vapour rises high into the atmosphere.
At extremely high altitudes, it cools and condenses around “condensation seeds” (which might be dust, pollen, etc.).
These droplets of condensation gather and make up clouds.
As the weight of condensation grows, water droplets form. Once they become heavy enough, they fall from the sky: and that’s the rain!
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A rainbow caught between sky and earth
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Love the rain | 6 November 2008 | par : remy
Rainbows look amazing… And no wonder, because they contain all the colours in the visible light spectrum, from violet (on the outside) to red (on the inside)… All, except one: magenta, which is a combination of red and violet.
A rainbow doesn’t remain still, but moves in relation to where you see it from. That makes it harder to find the mythical pot of gold.
The rainbow is in fact present only on your retina, a result of light being reflected through water droplets suspended in the air. These droplets act as prisms and break down the light passing through them.
And even the number of colours seen has changed with the ages: Aristotle saw only 3 colours, whereas we see 7 (since Newton).
You see, rain can have its own beauty!
Popularity: 2% [?]
Water droplets are not what they seem
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Love the rain | 6 October 2008 | par : remy
A drop of water is not the tear drop shape we often give it, and for a good reason: it is completely round!
Even falling at several metres/second (around 8 metres/second in a downpour), a raindrop is perfectly spherical. It holds this shape due to its molecular structure, so the lines we perceive when it rains are actually an illusion…
Droplets are never more than 6 millimetres in diameter because at that point, the forces that hold them together become weaker than the forces pulling them apart, so they explode!
Popularity: 2% [?]
Where does snow come from? Snow and clouds… Clouds and snow… What’s with snow?
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Love the rain | 6 September 2008 | par : remy
Just like rain, snow falls from clouds. Different weather conditions lead to different types of precipitation.
Snow forms in high altitude clouds, where temperatures are extremely low.
Water vapour freezes around condensation seeds as ice crystals.
When they reach a critical mass, the crystals fall. As the crystals fall to the ground, the ambient temperature rises:
- if the temperature stays below freezing (0°C), the ice crystals stick together and make flakes that land on the ground. This is snow.
- if the temperature rises above freezing, the ice crystals melt. This results in wet, sleety snow or just plain old rain.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Where rain comes from?
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Love the rain | 9 July 2008 | par : remy
Water vapour is generated from moisture evaporating in the environment (bodies of water), and from the “sweating” of plants.
This water vapour rises high into the atmosphere.
At extremely high altitudes, it cools and condenses around “condensation seeds” (which might be dust, pollen, etc.).
These droplets of condensation gather and make up clouds.
As the weight of condensation grows, water droplets form. Once they become heavy enough, they fall from the sky: and that’s the rain!
Popularity: 2% [?]