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[snip]Condensation nuclei are required for cloud formation at saturation
(really, just above saturation). No argument there.
You might check out "Clouds in a Glass of Beer: Simple Experiments in
Again, my concern about the demo is that it implies that "regular" air is
devoid of condensation nuclei.
Atmospheric Physics" by Craig Bohren (should be <$20 from Amazon), which is
a delightful read on this sort of thing. Bohren distinguishes heterogeneous
nucleation (where something else nucleates the cloud) from homogeneous
nucleation (where the molcules are cooled enough to "stick" in their collisions
and nucleate themselves. You get heterogeneous nucleation on the insides
of the beer glass or from salt or sand (uck) particles in beer. You get
homogeneous nucleation in the throat of the bottle when you uncap and
release pressure, dropping the temp to about -36C and making the cloud in
the neck of the bottle. This is my fave cloud making demonstration :^).