Debunked Myths

The elegant teardrop shape we associate with raindrops is one of nature's most beautiful inaccuracies, immortalized in weather icons and children's drawings. The reality of falling through air creates much different forms. Tiny raindrops start as perfect spheres due to surface tension. As they grow larger and fall faster, air pressure pushes against their bottoms, flattening them into shapes resembling hamburger buns.

When drops reach about 4-5 mm in diameter, the air pressure becomes so strong that it creates a concave depression on top, eventually causing the drop to break apart into smaller spheres. At no point in this cycle does a raindrop naturally form the pointed teardrop we imagine.

The myth likely comes from watching drops cling to surfaces, where gravity pulls them into teardrop shapes just before they fall. But once airborne, the forces of surface tension and air pressure create dynamic, wobbling blobs. It's a classic case of our brains preferring simple, symbolic representations over complex physical truths—we see what we expect rather than what actually exists.