We've seen people take on some really cool (and some really crazy) experiments when the temperature drops below freezing outside. From jumping on ice-covered trampolines to sledding on frozen T-shirts, you'd think we'd have seen just about everything at this point.
Calgary, AB native Chris Ratzlaff, however, has given us a new cold-weather experiment that's far from crazy. Instead, it looks like pure magic!
In this video, you'll see as Ratzlaff makes a soap bubble outside in the freezing Calgary cold and watch, in real-time, as the bubble crystallizes and then freezes right before your eyes. It's like something out of a movie!
"When it gets really cold outside, all you can do is have some fun with it," Ratzlaff writes in the YouTube video description. "At -25C/-13F, soap bubble mixtures freeze faster than they pop, making for some very fascinating effects! When it gets this cold, I can often be found outside my house, bubble blower in one hand and camera in the other (I think my neighbours have gotten used to this sort of behaviour by now)."
These aren't just ordinary bubbles made from dish soap or commercially bought bubble mixture, though. Ratzlaff has experimented and come up with what he thinks is a great combination of items to make the perfect freezing bubble.
"Frozen bubbles are still very fragile creatures," he writes, "so I’ve experimented with different recipes to create a durable bubble wall that won’t pop in the slightest breeze; dish soap for the bubbling, corn syrup to thicken the wall and sugar to help crystallization. I let the mixture chill in the freezer to help speed up the freezing once outside."
His recipe involves:
- 200ml warm water
- 35ml corn syrup
- 35ml dish soap
- 2tbs sugar
- Chill in the freezer
So next time the temperatures in your area drop below freezing, whip up a batch of this bubble mixture and grab your camera. It’s time to make some magic!
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