Condensation

Have you ever stepped out of a warm shower and seen a mysterious, misty picture drawn across the bathroom mirror? Or maybe you’ve left a secret message with your fingertip on a foggy car window? If you have, then you’ve met me. I am a magical artist, and the world is my canvas. I don’t use paint or crayons. Instead, I use something invisible that’s all around you. On a hot summer day, I love to visit a tall, cold glass of lemonade and make it look like it’s sweating, covering it in tiny, cool droplets. Have you ever wondered where that water comes from? It’s one of my favorite tricks. I am quiet and sneaky, and I do my best work when no one is looking. In the cool hush of the early morning, just before the sun wakes up, I tiptoe through gardens and fields. I leave behind millions of sparkling jewels on every blade of grass and I carefully decorate spiderwebs with delicate, glistening beads of dew. My art is beautiful, but it doesn’t last forever. As soon as the sun warms up the world, my misty paintings and sparkly jewels vanish, disappearing back into the air. But don’t worry, I am always close by, waiting for the perfect moment to create something new. Have you ever noticed my magic before?

For thousands of years, people were puzzled by my work. They saw me everywhere but couldn’t quite figure out my secret. They would watch clouds bloom in the sky like giant puffs of cotton and wonder how they got there. A very clever thinker in ancient Greece named Aristotle spent a lot of time observing me. He saw how I blanketed the fields with morning dew and how mist rose from rivers. He knew it had something to do with air and water, but he couldn't quite explain the 'how'. It was a grand puzzle. But I’m ready to tell you my secret. Are you ready? My name is Condensation. I am a crucial part of the Earth’s amazing water cycle. All around you, floating in the air, are tiny, invisible particles of water called water vapor. You can’t see them, but they are there. My special job is to transform this invisible gas back into liquid water. How do I do it? My magic happens when the warm, moist air gets chilly. Think of all those little water vapor particles like tiny dancers full of energy. When they touch something cold, like a cool blade of grass or a cold glass of lemonade, they lose their energy. They get so chilly that they slow down and huddle together with their friends. When enough of them gather in a group, they form a visible drop of water. That’s me. It’s not magic, it’s science, but I think it’s still pretty magical, don’t you?

My job is more than just drawing on mirrors and making glasses sweat. It is one of the most important jobs in the whole world. I am the cloud-maker. High up in the atmosphere where it’s very cold, I gather those tiny water vapor particles together to form the enormous, fluffy clouds you see floating across the sky. And when those clouds get full and heavy with the water droplets I’ve made, I become the rain-bringer. The pitter-patter you hear on your window is my work, delivering fresh water back to the Earth. I fill the lakes, rivers, and oceans. The water you drink from your tap was once part of a cloud that I helped create. From the thick fog that can roll in and cover a whole city in a mysterious blanket, to the gentle morning mist that helps plants grow, my work is everywhere. I am a constant, gentle reminder that things can change from something you can’t see into something that gives life to the entire planet. I am transformation, I am renewal, and I am the artist who helps keep our world green and full of life.