h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Rain - A5527514
Author: Matt (Help the AViators A13264670 fly) - U168592

Right. This is a big 'un, so be forewarned. It's sort of in response to the challenge by another Researcher.

There's probably many more EG links (and others) to add, but I'll do that later. The text is as it stands.

Enjoy!

Hmmm, interesting. In the last bit you could mention cows lying down = it's gonna rain, and mackerel sky = never long wet, never long dry.

H2O --> H2O
vapor --> vapour
rooves --> rooves are not like hooves - it's 'roofs'

Alex

Sorted out those typos etc.

I haven't put some of the rain sayings in because their already mentioned in some of the other EG links

I understand you not putting the one about cows in, but I don't think mackerel skies are mentioned elsewhere, unless they are somehow pertinent to the How to Make Fishcakes entry.

**nods wisely about the concept of rain**

I do think the Guide needs more entries like this. 'Pleasantly bonkers', I think the best terminology is.

OK, a few bits and bobs on first scan:

"Rain is a type of weather, or more precisely - precipitation." This sounds like you're implying that 'precipitation' is a synonym for 'weather'. I know that's not what you mean.

H2O -> H2O

I've always spelled it 'Incey Wincey spider', although I guess you could claim flexibility on this.

" they burst" - I appreciate you're trying to keep it simple, but some more detailed explanation might be in order here. Also, you don't make it clear whether 'they' refers to the clouds or the water droplets.

'Science of Precipitation' section: I would put the boring bit in BLOCKQUOTE and italics.

Types of Rain - You might just about get away with squeezing this into the EG, but don't trust me on it. I know we're not supposed to mention the HHGTTG books in the EG, but it would be a shame not to mention Rob McKenna the lorry-driving Rain God somewhere in this section.

"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" I would probably credit this in a footnote to Bob Dylan, just to be on the safe side.

Footnote 6 - It might just be because I'm a chemist, but I'd be interested in some more detail here. What other chemicals might I find in clouds, and where?

"11,873mm or (467.4 inches)" - rearrange your brackets.

"Acid rain is formed when chemical pollutants, like poisonous smoke from factories and fossil fuel power stations," - again, this is the chemist coming out, but I would explain that the chemical pollutants responsible are sulphur dioxide (SO2</SUB&gt, oxides of nitrogen (NOx</SUB&gt and - more rarely - carbon dioxide (CO2</SUB&gt.

"Train - Rain only really affects trains by causing problems on their tracks. " - Might be an opportune time to mention the old 'wet leaves' cliche.

"Aircraft fly into the lower atmosphere and drop a mix of chemicals."
- sorry, chemistry again. The chemicals are usually silver halides: two strongly charged particles which form a dipole (a molecule with a + charge at one end and a - charge at the other). Because of the strong charges, the dipolar molecules attract a lot of water - itself a dipole - and cause it to nucleate. Don't suppose there's any chance you could mention a classic Quantum Leap episode at this point, is there?

"Rain and Religion" - I'm less of an expert here, but isn't the regular flooding of the Ganges reckoned to be a gift from Shiva, or something suchlike?

"If In Doubt..." - surely you can't forget "Red sky at night; shepherds' delight. Red sky in t'morning; shepherds' warning". This probably has some sort of meteorological basis if you'd care to look it up. Maybe could expand this section to include such things as cows lying down, swallows flying low and pine cones opening.

It's a funny old Entry, as it goes, but worthy of a place in the Guide, I reckon.

B

Obviously some of that has been corrected while I was typing.

B

Damn right. More of this kind of work, please

This is great!

You need to decide on your spelling of 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' though - your first and last lines spell it like that but the second is 'Insy'. Like B, I've always said 'Incey Wincey spider', but I know there are several variations.

I especially liked the last paragraph of 'Rainmaker'. I can personally add 'planning on going to Blenheim Horse Trials', as it bucketed down last year and looks like doing the same tomorrow...

Lbclaire

Thanks for the feedback guys I've fixed up all the points everyone noted (I think ),

MB - I'll add you as Chemistry Consultant if that's okay

As for Shiva, the story is that Shiva actually prevented the flooding of the world by entwining the god Ganga in his hair, thus only the Ganges river flooded So, I could put it in, but it's kind of more about flooding than raining (I know, it's related, but leaves things open for someone to do an Entry about floods...)

I'm slowly plodding through the Entry and adding more links, but if anyone else spots some, let me know!

all!

"MB - I'll add you as Chemistry Consultant if that's okay"

Cue Orcus and BigAl turning up and telling me I'm wrong, as per usual then.

B

Loved it, Matt. This is a brilliant entry

One nitpick (Punic pagan history ) Aleyin was a god of vegetation. His father, Baal was the storm-god carrying the thunderbolt (his cv was pretty full, actually, including his role as ruler of the universe, etc ):

http://phoenicia.org/pagan.html#anchor90487


W

What a Baal's-up

B

oops. Misread me book. Have fixed that up, ta W

Damn. This is excellent. I wish I'd written it.

One point:

I don't believe clouds are made of water vapour. Vapour is the gaseous state of water and is invisible.

This is excellent, Matt

Now the others have had a go I can only see two things and one of those is really only personal preference


Where does it rain? Paragraph 2

high peaks and hill often have clouds -->hills

Acid or Alkaline rain

You can't tell the difference between acid rainclouds and normal rainclouds, although one might assume that acid ones are technicolour hues that dazzle and spin. This is a silly assumption. --> I think this would read better if the full stop was after normal rainclouds and the comma after spin - just a thought feel free to ignore it

Nice entry Matt but I've got to take umbrage with you saying warm rain is unpleasant...

One of the greatest joys my mum enjoyed as a kid growing up in Trinidad in the Carribean was when it rained. On a very hot day, a brief shower of warm rain was party time. All the kids would put on their swimming costumes and go splash about in the warm pleasant shower, it'd strip all the oppressive heat out of the day and would pleasently cool you down. I experienced it when I spent 6 months living in the Tropics and have to agree with her it's fun.

Cold rain is the one think she doesn’t like about England, especially the cold droplets that go down the back of your neck, but then everyone hates that, you should include somewhere!

Anyway I’d have thought she’d have got used to British rain by now she only lived in Trinidad until she was 18 and then moved over here in 1970!

You might also want to mention in the bit about predicting rain that you can feel when the air pressure drops and you get that eerie still and quiet feeling just before a storm hits...

Ah - I've just noticed soemthing missing - you need to explain why clouds are white / grey / red etc.

Clouds appear white because they are in fact formed from a mixture of water droplets and air, which form a colloid. While light can get through the clouds, it is refracted repeatedly by the changes in density between water and air, and so any particular photon will take a very roundabout path through the cloud. Clouds appear greyer when they contain more droplets, and red when the refract the light of a rising or setting sun.

Thanks all

Have ammended the Entry taking into consideration everyone's points (I hope)

magwitch - soory, I prefer the acid rain bit the way I've done it. just adds to the impact of the idiocy of the statement that way I feel.

Alex -

Thanks for that, but *ahem* the Entry is about rain, not clouds

Spoilsport