Dew collector

This article refers to elements from Original Dune
Pages for this subject as it appears in other canons:

Expanded Dune · The Dune Encyclopedia

Dew collectors, prior to planting - *Dune: Spice Wars*

Dew collectors or Dew precipitators were Fremen devices which could force condensation and keep flora alive in the harsh desert of Arrakis. The Fremen lined conclave depressions with dew collectors, where they would later plant, creating a small, but reliable source of water.

Dew collectors were four perpendicular centimetres long and were egg-shaped. ^[1] They were made of a chromoplastic which turned into a white, reflecting light when subjected to sunlight. In the darkness, they reverted back to their transparent state and rapidly cooled. ^[2]

The rapid cooling would condense the moisture out of the air, which would trickle down and keep the plant alive.

Appearances[]

Dune

References[]

↑ Dune - Terminology of the Imperium: DEW COLLECTORS or DEW PRECIPITATORS: not to be confused with dew gatherers. Collectors or precipitators are egg-shaped devices about four centimeters on the long axis. They are made of chromoplastic that turns a reflecting white when subjected to light, and reverts to transparency in darkness. The collector forms a markedly cold surface upon which dawn dew will precipitate. They are used by Fremen to line concave planting depressions where they provide a small but reliable source of water.
↑ Dune - Chapter 36: "Hai!" she said, and there was a whole conversation in the one word. "Well, what are they?" "Each bush, each weed you see out there in the erg," she said, "how do you suppose it lives when we leave it? Each is planted most tenderly in its own little pit. The pits are filled with smooth ovals of chromoplastic. Light turns them white. You can see them glistening in the dawn if you look down from a high place. White reflects. But when Old Father Sun departs, the chromoplastic reverts to transparency in the dark. It cools with extreme rapidity. The surface condenses moisture out of the air. That moisture trickles down to keep our plants alive." "Dew collectors," he muttered, enchanted by the simple beauty of such a scheme.

[1] Dune - Terminology of the Imperium: DEW COLLECTORS or DEW PRECIPITATORS: not to be confused with dew gatherers. Collectors or precipitators are egg-shaped devices about four centimeters on the long axis. They are made of chromoplastic that turns a reflecting white when subjected to light, and reverts to transparency in darkness. The collector forms a markedly cold surface upon which dawn dew will precipitate. They are used by Fremen to line concave planting depressions where they provide a small but reliable source of water.

[2] Dune - Chapter 36: "Hai!" she said, and there was a whole conversation in the one word. "Well, what are they?" "Each bush, each weed you see out there in the erg," she said, "how do you suppose it lives when we leave it? Each is planted most tenderly in its own little pit. The pits are filled with smooth ovals of chromoplastic. Light turns them white. You can see them glistening in the dawn if you look down from a high place. White reflects. But when Old Father Sun departs, the chromoplastic reverts to transparency in the dark. It cools with extreme rapidity. The surface condenses moisture out of the air. That moisture trickles down to keep our plants alive." "Dew collectors," he muttered, enchanted by the simple beauty of such a scheme.

[1]

[2]