As frigid air gripped Yakutsk, Russia, during the middle of January, one family didn’t let it stop them from having some winter fun.
Published Jan 20, 2023 6:59 PM EST | Updated Jan 23, 2023 8:15 AM EST
Yakutsk, Russia, is home to some of the most dangerous low temperatures in the world, earning its name of the world's coldest city. The bitter cold can become so extreme that even bubbles freeze in just seconds.
On Jan. 15, a video was posted on the Russian social media site VKontakte showing a man blowing bubbles and using a bubble-blowing gun to demonstrate just how frigid the air is in the remote Russian city. As the man begins to blow the bubbles, a cloud of vapor can be seen as each bubble crystalizes in seconds.
It takes lower temperatures to freeze bubbles than it does water because while the freezing point of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the freezing point for soap is around 12 degrees. Though sometimes, bubbles can freeze while being blown into the air when temperatures dip below 20 degrees, according to Planet Science.
A man in Yakutsk, Russia, uses a bubble-blowing gun to transform bubbles into ice. (@roditeli__7 via Storyful)
Yakutsk is located in eastern Siberia and is one of many locations in the region that experienced record-low temperatures due to a long cold snap. Temperatures were 58 degrees Fahrenheit below zero when the video was taken, which was plenty cold enough to create the spectacle.
While 58 degrees below zero may seem historically cold, that was far from where temperatures eventually bottomed out for the month in Yakutsk. Just four days later on Jan. 19, the world's coldest city plunged to an astonishing nearly 90 degrees below zero, which was the lowest observed in more than two decades. It was the second time this winter that temperatures dipped past 76 degrees below zero in the city.
A bubble that has been transformed to ice from very cold temperatures. (@roditeli__7 via Storyful)
Other spectacular phenomena can occur when temperatures drop so low, such as the formation of stunning ice crystals using cookie cutters. A common trick during cold weather is transforming boiling water into steam. This occurs when water is thrown into the air that is 14 degrees below zero or lower, and it quickly condenses into water droplets and turns into steam.
Just this year in the northeastern United States, very chilly conditions made for a pasta dish to become frozen in place with a fork appearing as if it was levitating in mid-air. This occurred due to the wet pasta chilling so quickly that it could be propped up like a statue of a very cold lunch break.
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