Ice spike

Last night we had a very hard frost, so this morning I went outside to break the ice in the paint tray that we use as a bird bath.

In the middle of the tray was a remarkable ice spike, which measured 53mm in height.

After finding another tray that I could use for the birds, I went to fetch my camera. After taking the first picture, the sun rose, and I took this second picture when the rising sun lit up the spike.

There are more ice spikes on our website and you can read more on the website of the Physics Department of the University of Toronto.