How to Make a Cloud in a Bottle

How to Make a Cloud in a Bottle In the real world, clouds form when warm, moist air is cooled and condenses into tiny water droplets, which collectively make up clouds. You can mimic this process (on a much smaller scale, of course!) by using everyday items found in your home or school. What Youll Need: A clear bottle, mason jar, or another see-through container with a lidA dark-colored piece of paperHot waterIceMatches Warning:  Due to the use of hot water, glass, and matches, young children are cautioned not to do this experiment without adult supervision. Getting Started First, rinse your glass to make sure it is clean. (Do not use soap and do not dry the inside.)Add hot water to the jar until it covers the bottom by 1 deep. Then swirl the water around so that it warms up the sides of the jar. (If you dont do this, condensation may immediately occur.) Youve just added one of the key ingredients for cloud formation: water.Take the lid, turn it upside-down (so that it acts as a small dish), and place several ice cubes in it. Place the lid on top of the jar. (After doing this, you may see some condensation, but notice theres no cloud yet.) The ice adds another ingredient needed for clouds to form: the cooling of warm, moist air. Carefully light a match and blow it out. Drop the smoking match into the jar and quickly replace the lid of ice. The smoke adds the final ingredient for cloud formation: condensation nuclei for the cooled water droplets to condense onto.Now look for wisps of cloud swirling inside! To see them better, hold up your dark colored pa per behind the jar. Congratulations, youve just made a cloud! After youve and named it, lift the lid and let it flow out so that you can touch it! Tips and Alternatives For younger children: If you prefer not to use matches, you can substitute air freshener spray in step # 4. Lift the lid of ice, spritz a small amount into the jar, then quickly replace the lid.Advanced: Use a bicycle pump to change the pressure and see even more clouds.  Going further: Try using other sizes of dust particles. Design an experiment to determine the best size of dust particles to use. You could also test different water temperatures. Now that youve learned some basic principles of how clouds form, its time to up your knowledge. Study these cloud photos to learn the ten basic types of clouds and what weather they forecast. Or explore what the many storm clouds look like and mean.         Updated by Tiffany Means