09. Formation of the Dew
Formation of the Dew The formation of the dew of heaven begins the day before the dew appears. It begins with the sun shining brightly during the day. When the sun shines on the earth it sends tremendous quantities of energy to the earth. That energy warms things on earth. Our cars and many other things get warm-even hot in the sunshine. This heat is produced by the absorption of energy from the sun. As the energy pours forth on the earth, something else happens to prevent us from burning up. Water evaporates, absorbing most of this energy. Each liter of water absorbs about 620 calories (actually kilogram calories, but we call them calories for our diets!) to change it from liquid (at room temperature) to vapor. Billions of liters of water evaporate each day. Remember, we only need some 2,000 calories each day to live! Imagine how much energy is absorbed to keep us comfortable here. What a wonderful and wise Creator, who has so designed this intricate system!
There is a balance between the amount of liquid and evaporated water on the earth. There is a limit on the amount of water that can be held in the air — with warm air being able to hold more than cold air. During the day when the sun shines brightly, the air warms and is able to hold substantial amounts of evaporated water.
After sunset, the energy that came from the sun in the daytime leaves the earth by radiation. (Actually there is radiation away from the earth during the day as well, but the rate of supply from the sun overrides the amount leaving.) This produces what the weatherman calls "radiational cooling." As air cools it can hold less water and the saturation point is called the "dew point." When the dew point is reached in the cooling process the excess evaporated water held in the air condenses and forms dew. Dew will form on any item that is sufficiently cooler than the surrounding air, and it generally forms on the objects from which the sun’s energy had been stored and just released. These cool objects are the points of attraction for the dew formation. This is a very gentle and delicate process and is the way God "begets each drop of the dew."