Wonderful morning dew
At dawn, tiny drops of water can be seen on grass and other plants. This moisture is called dew. Dew forms in the night air through a process called condensation. Air contains water vapor. In the evenings, when warm, moist air passes over cool surfaces, the air cools down. The water vapor in the air forms into small drops. The drops cling to cool surfaces such as leaves, flower petals, and grass. The time of night when dew begins to form is called dewfall.
Susan and her mother had come to the park for an early morning walk. The weather had been nice and warm recently. The nights were still, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky.
The park’s grass glittered and winked. “Are those diamonds?” Susan asked. It looked as if someone had sprinkled tiny diamonds all across the grass during the night.
Susan bent down to touch one of the glittering points. “It’s water!” she cried out in surprise. “How did it get here? Did it rain last night?”
“No, this isn’t rainwater. It’s dew.”
“What’s dew?” Susan was eager to know.
“It came from the air. All air has some water in it, you know,” said Mother.
“But I don’t see any water in the air,” said Susan, looking around.
“No, of course you don’t. It’s in the form of vapor, like fog, only very light,” said Mother.
“So how does the water get onto the grass?”
“You know that steam turns into water again if it touches something cold, right?” Susan nodded. “Well, on certain nights the air is warm and full of moisture,” Mother continued, “but the grass and the ground are cool. So when the vapor in the warm air touches these cooler surfaces…”
“…it changes to water drops on the grass,” finished Susan. “That must be why sometimes in the morning our car is covered with tiny drops of water.”
“That’s right,” Mother smiled. “Now let’s get going on that walk!”
Interesting facts
– Until the 18th century it was believed that the dew falls like rain from the sky.
– If there is the dew on the grass in the morning there will be no rain during the day.
– Bedouins extract water from the air, they use the morning dew.
– It is useful to walk on the wet grass early in the morning.
– It is always associated with freshness, new day, youth and purity.
– This natural phenomenon symbolizes the spiritual rebirth, enlightenment, peace and innocence.
– Alchemists believed that dew was the embryo of the philosopher’s stone and one of the symbols of Materia Prima.