Winter In Minnesota: Bubble Freezes Into Ice Globe

A bubble atop a beer mug underwent a stunning transformation into an ice globe early Sunday morning in Graceville, Minnesota. The first day of December brought frigid conditions to the area, with a high temperature of only 14 degrees. Carol Bauer stepped outside just before sunrise to create the captivating experiment seen in the video above.

Here’s How To Try It Yourself

When temperatures dip well below freezing where you live, you can give this experiment a try outside your own home. First, prepare a soapy solution, using something like dishwashing liquid. Next, use a dish wand or brush to slowly create a bubble. Then, step back and enjoy!

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Hot tip: if you add corn syrup to your dishwashing fluid, your bubble will likely last longer.

Here’s How It Works

When you make a bubble using dishwashing liquid, there is a layer of water molecules sandwiched between two layers of soap. When you make one of these bubbles in air well below freezing, the water molecule layer freezes, creating incredible crystalline patterns.

T​his segment originally appeared in today's edition of the Morning Brief newsletter. Sign up here to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.

Senior writer Chris DeWeese edits Morning Brief, The Weather Channel’s weekday newsletter.