Iridescent, a.k.a. rainbow, clouds are a beautiful phenomenon often seen during the winter months. The rainbow forms as ice crystals in the cloud cause the light to be split, just like a prism would. Fun Fact - The term iridescent comes from the Greek goddess, Iris, who was the personification of a rainbow. Follow Elemental Science on Instagram Teaching Science at Home Want to learn more about … [Read more...]
Snow {InstaScience}
December was so warm for us this winter that I was sure that we wouldn't get very much snow this year. Well, apparently Old Man Winter changed his mind! In the last three weeks we have had several snow storms. So, I thought that it was about time for me to share about snow! Snow forms by a process of deposition, which means that water vapor in the high in the atmosphere changes directly into … [Read more...]
Freezing Fog {InstaScience}
Freezing fog is a super cool weather phenomena that happens in the cool winter months! We were lucky enough to see some just the other day. Fog occurs when cold air settles in over relatively warm, moist ground. It’s basically a cloud on the ground. Freezing fog is happens when the air becomes saturated with water vapor that is supercooled. Supercooled water is between 32 degrees and 5 … [Read more...]
Rain {InstaScience}
We have had a lot of rain so far this fall! Which is great for filling up the aquifers, but not so great for the colors of our leaves as I shared in last week’s InstaScience on fall leaves. Rain forms when warm, moist air rises and condenses to form a cloud of water vapor, the micro-droplets collect together to form bigger droplets which fall to the ground because of gravity. In other words, … [Read more...]
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