Mastodawn

That Dinkum Thinkum

I have a question for all the geeks out there: What kind of weather phenomenon creates this pattern on my window? It happens always when it’s below freezing and dry. It only happens on this window, which has no side wall to protect it from... what exactly?

@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNote Mar 4

@bigz Well damn, now I want to know too. LoL #Weather #WeatherPhenomena #Geeks Anyone out there know what creates this
⬆️ ⬆️ ⬆️

That Dinkum Thinkum Mar 4

@Pineywoozle I’m really clueless, as the window is double glazed, so it can’t have anything to do with the inside. My speculation is either some very strange airflow pattern on the outside, or some even stranger infrared reflection from the inner glass surface 🤷

@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNote Mar 4

@bigz My money is on pixies but sure infrared…

That Dinkum Thinkum Mar 4

@Pineywoozle Oh pixies would be so cool… and would explain some things, especially since they make it only on this window which is facing the sky. There is another one about one meter to the left, but it’s partially obscured by a wall, and it doesn’t get the magic pattern 😊

@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNote Mar 4

Pilum::🌞Mar 4

@bigz @Pineywoozle They put a big dick shape on mine...

https://fedi.j1nk4l.com/@pilum/115609282500212455

Pilum::🌞 (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image Dick pic'd by Father Frost. 😩

Mastodon

@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNote Mar 4

@pilum @bigz @bruce Definitely Selkies. Case closed we can all go back to our knitting.
🤣🤣🤣

Bruce Heerssen Mar 4

@bigz @Pineywoozle

It could be that the window is no longer completely sealed and some moisture has gotten inside. If you want, you can check by touching the window from both sides. If it doesn't disturb the pattern, then it's inside the window.

That Dinkum Thinkum Mar 4

@bruce @Pineywoozle That’s a good point 👆. The window is over 20 yo and used to be filled with argon or something like that. Now I’m absolutely certain there is air and probably some moisture inside, as I see it sometimes in the corners. But this particular (pixie) frost ring is on the outside…

Bruce Heerssen Mar 4

I'm still leaning toward the cause being a failed seal, probably on the far edge in the picture. That could, maybe, cause a temperature differential that allows for condensation on the outside.

@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNote Mar 4

@bruce Seals aren’t remotely as much fun as pixies. But a ghost seal who failed at being a circus performer, recreating the ball they tried so hard to balance when they were alive just to amuse the pixies…that I can get behind😉

Bruce Heerssen Mar 4

Ooh, maybe it's the work of a selkie!

@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNote Mar 4

@bruce I thought about selkies but wouldn’t they just break the window for sport lol

Bruce Heerssen Mar 4

@Pineywoozle
You know about fairy circles... maybe this is like that, but instead of leading to the fae realm, it just drops you a thousand feet under the sea.

@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNote Mar 4

@bruce What I’m hearing is that the author of Sponge Bob far from being a marine biologist is actually a Selkie who has it in for Dinkum… plausible.

TsehHaEss Mar 4

@bigz Theory: The window would freeze in a full, round (slightly oval) circle because of its thermodynamic symmetry inside and outside, but there is some kind of heat source centered beneath the window (not shown in the picture) which causes the center of the circle to vanish? 🤔

TsehHaEss Mar 4

@bigz Oh, hold on! I got it!
Theory:
The corners of the window: warm (because of the contact with the isolated, warm walls)
The centre of the window: also warm, because of the warm room air.
The frozen circle correlates and manifests itself due to the thickness of the walls, which cause the room air to get less in touch with the areas of the window, exactly where the window freezes!

That Dinkum Thinkum Mar 4

@TsehHaEss Agree with the thermal contact with the walls. However, the inside of the ring cannot have anything (directly) to do with the inside of the house, as the window is double glazed…

TsehHaEss Mar 4

@bigz Let's assume, it does have something to do with the inside if the house. What could explain the occurance of the "hole" in the freezing zone? Presumably a defect (not perfect isolation) of the double-glas window?

Mike Zeitz Mar 4

@bigz I suspect it's an effect of the double glazing: It sags slightly towards the middle, so the insulating layer between the panes is a bit thinner, allowing heat from the inside to melt ice on the glass more easily. The heat from the frame then acts towards the edges. This combination creates the ring effect.

TsehHaEss Mar 4

@zeitz @bigz Also thought about hat. I wouldn't expect thickness effects causing these differences.

TsehHaEss Mar 4

@bigz Another one: Wind turbulances outside of the window (due to the edges) prevent water to condensate anywhere else as in the ring area...no condensation, no freezing...fewer condensation nucleus?

Jay Hannah Mar 4

@bigz of our 6 front windows, one of them does something similar. It’s the one with the heating duct outlet below it, so I assume that’s the source.

Thomas =:-)Mar 4

@bigz @patrick a fairy circle, surely