Archives for: "December 2014"
Standard P1a Hexagonal Crystal, Front and Side
December 19th, 2014It didn't start so symmetrical, but became so as it grew: This, the left crystal of the pair described two posts below, grew much more slowly on its basal faces (front & back in the left image). The way it grew, and its big difference with the crystal… more »
Lots of Hair Ice
December 19th, 2014My older sister sent me this photo on a recent morning. This is hair ice growing from an alder tree. All of it grew overnight, formed when liquid water near the outer trunk surface (beneath the bark) froze. This creates an ice front in each pore-like… more »
A Crystal Pair, Several Views, and a "Man on the Crystal"
December 19th, 2014One advantage of the new apparatus is the capability to grow up to three crystals at a time, each on its own capillary. It is also very useful being able to move each capillary around. Having success with a single crystal, we tried it with two, and much… more »
New Capillary Crystal-Growth Device
December 11th, 2014After several years of planning and several more years of construction, our new crystal-growth device is operational. We are now tuning the electronics, vacuum system, data collection method, and other aspects, but we can indeed produce ice crystals on… more »
Freezing a Soap Film
December 1st, 2014Upon seeing this morning some recently posted pictures of freezing soap bubbles, I decided to give it a try. Fortunately, we have been having freezing temperatures recently. And coincidentally, my older daughter had just purchased some glycerin for… more »
