The human being has always wanted to know how to predict the weather. There are many inventions that have been created to try to predict it. One of them is the Storm glass. It is also known as a storm glass and is a curious device used to predict the weather. Although it is only known among meteorology enthusiasts, X was used by navigators in the 19th century.
In this article, we'll tell you what Storm Glass is, its features, and how to use it.
What is Storm Glass
This interesting device is a sealed glass container filled with a mixture of different liquids, these liquids take different shapes depending on the weather conditions and can predict the weather in a short period of time. The main components of this mixture they are distilled water and ethanol. It also contains small amounts of potassium nitrate, ammonium chloride, and camphor. Care must be taken with the order of the mixture, as adding it in the wrong order can cause the mixture to explode. If you'd like to learn more about how the weather can affect humans, you can read about the climate change and its effects.
How can you predict the weather?
Changes in air temperature and atmospheric pressure can cause changes in the solubility of the mixture, which can cause changes in the appearance of the liquid. The greater or less turbidity established by Fitzroy or the presence or absence of scales, crystallites or filamentous structures changes over time over the next few hours. A clear liquid, free of impurities, is an indicator of blue skies and a sunny environment, and if it starts to cloud over, it will become a cloud and it may rain. This relates to studies on how clouds form, which you can check out at orographic clouds.
If small spots appear in the liquid, mist or haze can be expected, while for snow, it can arrive (in good weather) that there will be small white, feather-like feathers that sometimes form ice. If these same crystals appear in cloudy liquid instead of clear liquid, then we will encounter a thunderstorm or thunderstorm. The correct interpretation of these formations will allow the weather conditions to be predicted 24 to 48 hours in advance.
Inventor of Storm Glass
Besides the inventor of storm glass, Fritz roy He is also an important figure in the development of meteorology. Under his authority from the Royal Society, a network of 24 weather stations was implemented to send information to London via telegram. Upon embarking on his second voyage of the Beagle, FitzRoy carried countless barometers and 22 astronomical clocks to adjust the available latitude calculations. To better understand the importance of weather phenomena, you can research climate change and global warming.
He created weather maps to visualize atmospheric fronts and their movements. But his true passion is predicting the weather, believing it can save lives. In this way, he persuaded the editors of the London newspaper The Times to include weather reports in their publications. Therefore, on August 1, 1861, the first meteorological part of history was published.
Forecasts and behavior
Due to changes in the appearance of the mixture due to changes in the atmosphere, glass allows us to make local, short-term weather forecasts. For example, if the weather is expected to be stable, dry and sunny, the glass appears to be free of impurities and clear. If it turns cloudy, it is a sign of cloudy and possible rain. If there are small spots inside the liquid, there may be mist or mist.
On a clear day, if you start to see small white, spike-like feathers forming ice crystals, chances are that the weather deteriorates and it will eventually snow. Ultimately, if these same crystals appear as cloudy liquids instead of being transparent, it's a clear harbinger of a storm—hence the name Storm Glass. This ability to predict the weather is similar to the observable changes that occur in cold weather, which can be more dangerous than warm weather. You can delve deeper into this topic by reading about cold weather and its risks.
How to make a Storm Glass
To make a Storm Glass, you must accurately weigh the salt and camphor, and measure the volume of alcohol and water. When weighing, you can use a Chinese jewelry scale with an accuracy of 0.01 G. You can use a graduated cylinder or measuring tube to measure the volume, or you can weigh the liquid based on its density.
You can immediately add camphor to the container prepared for the equipment and add alcohol, or you can dissolve it in 2/3 of the calculated volume of alcohol, Transfer the solution to a storm glass container and rinse with the remaining alcohol. Then dissolve the salt in water, add the resulting salt solution to the camphor solution and stir evenly (you can close the cork and turn it over or shake it several times). There should be some air cork between the solution and the bottom. In this case, the camphor will fall off in the form of a white precipitate, which indicates the correction of the movement.
Then close the device with a lid so that all air bubbles float, open them for a while to equalize the pressure, close and apply the sealer, and take it out until cool. The finished windshield should be fixed vertically on a matte black background and placed not far from the window, but away from the heating system and other heating equipment. After about a week, the camphor precipitate will condense and separate crystals will appear.
You may often find incorrect or even harmful suggestions or omissions. I'll list a few of them:
- It is impossible to cover the storm glass with a rubber stopper, which will inevitably cause the mixture to turn yellow, and the longer the time, the more saturated the color will be.
- Then close the device with a plug, allow all bubbles to float, open for a moment to equalize pressure, close and apply sealer, remove in cold.
- The finished Storm Glass should be fixed in an upright position on a matte black background and placed not far from the window, but away from heating systems and other heating appliances. After about a week, the camphor precipitate will condense and separate crystals will appear.
- It is ideal to seal the container with the mixture, if it is impossible to seal it, you can use a ground glass stopper without lubrication, or a fluoroplastic / polyethylene stopper, the stopper must guarantee the absolute tightness of the container, it is convenient to finally fix it with epoxy resin, applying it in the thickening stage in the top of the cap.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the Storm Glass and its characteristics.