Storm glass - Weather prediction

Explore the fascinating legacy of Storm Glass, a captivating tool used since the 1750s, even by boat travelers and Charles Darwin himself!

This mysterious device predicts the weather in an intriguing way: visible crystals indicate humid and foggy weather, a cloudy glass with small crystals indicates that a storm is approaching, while a clear glass indicates clear weather.

The story

Captain of the British ship "The Beagle" in 1750, Admiral Fitzroy had the idea of ​​mixing distilled water, ethanol, potassium nitrate, ammonium chloride and camphor in a glass bottle to predict the weather during his sea voyages. It was by regularly taking observations of the shape and distribution of the crystals forming in the bottle as well as the weather that he discovered the mechanism he had just created. He noted his results in his famous book "Weather Book" on the observation and prediction of the weather but it was in 1859, after a powerful storm, that the British Crown spread the use of the instrument in all ports and the ships of the Empire.

Fun fact: it is notably cited in the works of Jules Verne and Victor Hugo

Offer a unique gift or add a sophisticated touch to your interior decoration with this aesthetic and functional object.