Surface Tension of Low Viscous Liquids in Microgravity Surface tension is important in understanding how liquids behave when interacting with other objects and just itself.
Rain is the most visible result of surface tension.
A rain drop when viewed in slow motion is in tear formation. The part closest to Earth is circular and the part closest to the clouds is pointed. Surface tension of water keeps the drop together as it falls to the ground. Without this, the rain drop would be much smaller as a result of shearing stress placed on the drop as it falls. This can be due to wind, other drops, and friction as it falls through the air.