![]() ![]() ![]() This is the first recorded mention of volcanic lightning. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, Pliny the Younger observed something strange about the explosion: “There was a most intense darkness rendered more appalling by the fitful gleam of torches at intervals obscured by the transient blaze of lightning.” But as soon as the weaker tail is broken, the stress is released, allowing the whole drop to erupt into a fine powder. As the inner glass cools, it shrinks in volume and creates a strong structure by pulling against itself, making the head of the drop incredibly resistant to damage. When the Prince Rupert’s drop is made in the water, the outer layer becomes a solid while the inner glass remains molten. A shock wave can be seen traveling from the tail to the head at around 1.6 kilometers per second (1 MPS) as the stresses inherent in the drop are released. It took nearly 400 years, but modern scientists armed with high-speed cameras were finally able to see directly how the drops exploded. Charles had an interest in science and so challenged the Royal Society to explain the behavior of the drops. Yet with just the slightest damage to the tail end, the whole drop explodes violently. Hit a Prince Rupert’s drop with a hammer on the bulbous end, and nothing happens. Made by dropping molten glass into water, they exhibit weird properties when exposed to forces. The drops are named after Prince Rupert of the Rhine, who first introduced them to his cousin King Charles II. In 1661, a paper was presented at the Royal Society of London on these strange objects that look like glass tadpoles. Prince Rupert’s drops have been fascinating scientists for hundreds of years. ![]()
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