Cloud in a Jar
Have you ever wanted to see a cloud close-up? Don’t want to wait for a foggy day? Try out this experiment to make a cloud in a jar.
Activity Type:
Experiment, Citizen Science
Suggested Age:
6 to 9-years old
What you will need:
Warm water
Jar with a lid
Ice cubes
Aerosol hairspray (dry shampoo also works)
Kettle or measuring cup (to heat water in the microwave)
What you do:
Pour warm water (not boiling) into jar and swirl water around to warm up the inside of the entire jar.
Turn the lid upside down and place several ice cubes on top of it. Rest the lid on top of the jar with the ice cubes facing up towards you (not inside the jar).
Quickly remove the lid and give a quick spray of aerosol hairspray into the jar. Replace the lid as before.
Remove the lid and watch the cloud escape!
Explanation:
Clouds are formed when there are three things present: moist and warm air, a cooling process, and small dust particle or nuclei for the cloud to condense around.
By pouring warm water into a jar and trapping it, you create the first ingredient: warm, moist air. This warm air rises and meets with the cool air at the top of the jar which is made by the ice cubes. The aerosol hairspray provides the cloud condensation nuclei, simulating a dust particle.
As the water vapor inside the jar cools, it begins to form around the hairspray nuclei into many droplets.
When you remove the lid, the swirling cloud is released!
Taking it further:
Try different types of dust particles in this experiment. Does air freshener make a different cloud than hairspray? What other ways can you make dust in the jar?
Discover different types of clouds! Look out your window each day and draw the shapes and colours of clouds you see. Observe the differences between clouds, and notice the clouds that result in precipitation.
Gather data for GLOBE Observer and become a citizen scientist. By observing clouds and using simple photography, compare your observations with NASA satellite images to provide a different perspective of clouds.