Anne Helmenstine

Copper sulfate burns with more of a blue-green flame. (Anne Helmenstine) — Illuminating your Halloween jack o’ lantern with green fire is way more interesting than using a candle. Green fire just looks witchy! The effect is easy to achieve and yields fantastic results. Green Fire Jack o’ Lantern Materials You only need a few basic materials to put green fire in […]

Make a Green Fire Jack o’ Lantern

This entry was posted on October 15, 2018 by Anne Helmenstine

If you want to hear the aurora sound, listen on a calm, clear night. (Luke Stackpoole) — Do the Northern Lights or aurora borealis make a sound? The answer is yes. However, not everyone hears the sound and not all aurora produce it. Eyewitness Accounts of the Aurora Sound Several credible witnesses in both the Northern Hemisphere (aurora borealis) and Southern Hemisphere (aurora australis) report hearing a […]

Does the Aurora Borealis Make a Sound? Recently updated !

This entry was posted on October 15, 2018 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on October 15, 2018)

Real snowflakes are beautiful, but melt quickly. Grow borax crystal snowflakes and enjoy them as sparkling ornaments or decorations year-round. The snowflakes are naturally clear or white, but you can tint them blue or any color you like. Borax Crystal Snowflake Materials Basically, you’re growing borax crystals over a snowflake […]

Make Borax Crystal Snowflakes

This entry was posted on October 13, 2018 by Anne Helmenstine

Use white face paint and black eyeliner to make a simple skeleton costume. — Many commercial face paints contain chemicals you don’t want, such as perfumes, parabens, heavy metals, or allergens. They are also expensive for what you get. Here is a simple recipe for a homemade white face paint you can make that uses natural, non-toxic ingredients. White Face Paint Materials You only […]

Easy White Face Paint Recipe Recently updated !

This entry was posted on October 13, 2018 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on October 13, 2018)

When the elements were discovered (periodic table). — This periodic table chronicles the discovery of the chemical elements. The date is given for when an element was first isolated in pure or nearly pure form. In some cases, the existence of an element was suspected or predicted several years or even thousands of years before its purification. You […]

When Were the Elements Discovered? Timeline and Periodic Table Recently updated !

This entry was posted on October 11, 2018 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on October 11, 2018)

Shine a low pressure sodium lamp on a flame colored with table salt for a black flame pumpkin. — First, there was the green fire pumpkin. Then, I made a rainbow flames pumpkin. That was cool, but then there was the flamethrower jack o’ lantern. How could I top that? Well, this black flames Halloween jack o’ lantern is less likely to require a fire extinguisher, and actually way […]

Black Flames Halloween Jack o’ Lantern

This entry was posted on October 3, 2018 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on October 4, 2018)