The magic of spinning ice comets
Imagine this: Small pieces of dry ice fall into a pool of water at regular intervals. As soon as they touch the surface, the spectacle begins. The pieces spin, hiss softly and fine clouds of mist dance around them. It looks like a cosmic spectacle, almost like a miniature comet shower in a laboratory.
The exhibit is reminiscent of space phenomena, but is completely earthly: the "magic" is created by physical processes that can be easily observed - and that is precisely what makes it so appealing.
What exactly is happening?
Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide (CO2) that is at -78.5 °C. When it falls into warm water, something exciting happens: It changes directly from a solid to a gaseous state. This is called sublimation. This produces a lot of gas, which escapes from small openings at lightning speed. This causes a recoil - like a small rocket engine. As a result, the piece of ice begins to rotate or even "fly" in a certain direction.
In addition, the water vapour from the surroundings condenses when it hits the cold dry ice. This creates the mysterious mist that surrounds the rotating pieces like an aura. An effect that will amaze children and adults alike.
Learned something new again - and with a wow effect.
Icy bodies is a real all-rounder for the classroom:
- Physics: concepts such as sublimation, the principle of recoil and states of matter become tangible.
- Chemistry: Properties ofCO2 and the behaviour of gases.
- Astronomy: parallels to comets, which react similarly in space when they come closer to the sun.
- Art: The aesthetic effect of the nebula inspires creative projects.
Fun Facts - Did you already know?
- Dry ice is so called because it leaves no water behind when it vaporises.
- The principle of recoil is also used by rockets to propel themselves.
- In films, dry ice is often used for creepy ground fog - in the Icy Bodies exhibit, this is real fog, not trickery!
A dance of physics and fantasy
Icy Bodies impressively demonstrates how exciting science can be. "Turn HÄ? into HA!" That's phaeno. From "How does THAT work? What's actually happening here?" becomes "Ha, now I've got it!"
phaeno combines scientific learning with a real wow effect. Anyone visiting phaeno should definitely spend a few minutes in front of this tank and be amazed. Because this is what it looks like when science dances.
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