Vapor Transparency and Exhalations

Vapor Transparency

The vapors at B, E, and F are transparent. They cannot be distinguished from the rest of the air because they move very quickly in the same way as the air-aether that surrounds them.

They do not prevent the air-aether from receiving the action of luminous bodies. Instead, they receive it along with them.

In contrast, the vapor at C begins to become opaque or obscure because its parts no longer obey the air-aether enough to be moved by it in all directions.

The vapor at D cannot be as obscure as that at C because it is hotter.

In winter, the cold makes the breath or sweat of heated horses appear as a thick, dark smoke.

In summer, it is invisible because the air is warmer.

The air often contains as much or more vapor when none is visible as when some are.

How could it be otherwise, without a miracle, that in hot weather and at midday, the sun shining on a lake or a marsh fails to raise many vapors?

Especially since it is noted that at such times, the water evaporates and diminishes much more than in cold and overcast weather.

The vapors at E are more humid – they more likely to convert into water and wet or moisten other bodies as water does, than those at F.

On the contrary, the vapors at F are dry. They strike with force the moist bodies they encounter, being able to displace and carry away the water particles present, thereby drying them out.

This is why we experience that impetuous winds are always dry, and there are no humid ones that are not weak.

One could also say that the vapors at E are more humid than those at D because their parts, being more agitated, can better penetrate the pores of other bodies to make them moist.

However, in another sense, they could be said to be less humid because the excessive agitation of their parts prevents them from easily taking the form of water.

Exhalations: Particulates, Hydrocarbons,

Exhalations are capable of many more diverse qualities than vapors because there can be more differences among their particles.

• The coarser ones are mostly earth-aether
  • Examples are those at the bottom of a vase after allowing snow or rainwater to settle
• The most subtle ones are spirits or life waters
  • These always rise first from the bodies being distilled.

The intermediate ones have the nature either of volatile salts or oils, as the fumes that come out when they are burned.

Most of these exhalations rise into the air mixed with vapors. But they can still easily separate afterwards, either:

• by themselves, as oils separate from the water with which they are distilled, or
• aided by the agitation of winds that gather them into bodies.
  • This is like how village women separate the butter from the buttermilk by churning their cream.

Often, they settle in a lower or higher region than vapors when they are:

• heavier or lighter
• less agitated and more agitated than those vapors

Generally:

• oils rise less high than life waters
• the earth-aether exhalations rise even less than oils.

However, all of them settle higher than the particles of common salt.

Common salt is not properly exhalations or vapors. This is because they only rise just above the water’s surface.

But I classify them as exhalations since they come up through the evaporation of this water.