On Earth when stuff falls from the sky, what do we see? Well, it varies depending on the temperature, but you can rest assured that what you see and feel is water. The stuff is everywhere! It comes in different forms such as liquid and a solid. So how is rain formed? Rain happens through a process called the water cycle. Simply put, water is evaporated from sources like rivers, lakes, and oceans and rises into the air. As temperatures cool, the water vapor condenses and forms a cloud! Once water is condensed into a cloud, the cloud forms water droplets which then form into water drops. Once these water drops are heavy enough most of it makes it back to the surface as rain and this is the never-ending loop of the water cycle.
In bad thunderstorms, the drops that begin falling back to the surface get blown back high into the atmosphere into freezing temperatures (This is an updraft). The drop begins to fall again gaining more moisture and getting bigger. This happens over and over until the drop is big enough to fall down to the surface as hail.
So we know what rain is like on our planet. What is it like on other worlds? Let's take a trip to the first stop in our adventure, the planet Venus. Venus is Earth's twin. It closely resembles the size of our home. Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system. It has an atmosphere that is composed mostly of carbon dioxide and clouds saturated with sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid. It is strong enough to eat through living tissues, stone, and even metal! Assuming you would be able to survive all other aspects of Venus' harsh environment, if you happen to get caught in this super concentrated sulfuric acid rain, it would be a very bad day.
The next stop on our journey is a moon in the Saturn system called Titan. Titan is the largest moon in the Saturn system and the second largest in the solar system, second to Jupiter's moon Ganymede. Titan is a very complex world, in fact, scientists believe it is similar to how Earth would have looked in its early years. Its atmosphere is composed of 95% nitrogen and 5% methane. Titan has rivers, lakes, and even oceans composed of methane! In order for methane to exist in a liquid form it has to be extremely cold, on Titan it would be about minus 290 degrees F! Living on Titan would be relatively easy for humans. It is one of the least hostile places in our outer solar system. Protection from the cold and a breathing mask would be all you needed to live there. So, what would happen if you got caught in rain on Titan? No need to worry. If you happen to be exposed to the liquid methane, treating the exposure would be relatively the same as treating a natural gas exposure. Let's say you get the methane on your skin, if you rinse the area thoroughly with water, you will be fine.
It has been rumored that it rains diamonds on the gas giants. Yes, I said diamonds! But before you begin to plan a trip to the outer solar system, just know that bringing back that amount of diamond back to this planet would make the jewel worthless! So I bet you are wondering "how in the world can it rain diamonds anywhere!?" Well, studies have shown that the gas giants have an abundance of carbon in their atmospheres in the diamond form. Lightning storms on these planets turn methane into soot, which is a form of carbon. The soot begins to fall toward the center of the planet being subjected to higher pressures and heat, it would then turn into diamonds and continue to fall to the center as hail would fall here on Earth. Sadly, the heat is so intense on Saturn and Jupiter that the diamonds do not stay in that form for long before melting and collecting in a molten sea at the core of the planet. The same cannot be said for Neptune and Uranus since the planets are much cooler. The diamond rains on these planets last much longer. None of this has actually been confirmed beyond the shadow of a doubt, but it is still cool to think about.
Where ever you are, whenever it begins to rain, always think about bringing your umbrella! Thank you all for reading please check out my social media below and subscribe to the blog for updates when I post!
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