While doing the sort of experiment only a kid or a scientist would pursue – namely, staring down a straw – Dianna noticed that water in a straw creates a Keep reading
Tag: refraction
Underwater Optical Illusions
On a hot day, it’s not unusual to catch a glimpse of a shimmering optical illusion over a hot road, but you probably wouldn’t expect to see the same thing 2,000 meters Keep reading
Seeing the Wake
Hot exhaust gases churn in the wake of this climbing B-1B Lancer. The high temperature of the exhaust changes the density and, thus, the refractive index of the gases relative Keep reading
Flamethrowing
Humans have long been fascinated by staring into flames, and the Slow Mo Guys carry on the grand tradition here with 4K, high-speed video of a flamethrower. Like firebreathers, a Keep reading
Seeing Blast Waves
With a large enough explosion, it’s actually possible to see shock waves. This high-speed camera footage shows the detonation of a car packed with explosives. After the initial flash, you Keep reading
Blast Waves Visualized
Typically, shock waves are invisible to the human eye. Using sensitive optical techniques like schlieren photography, researchers in a lab can visualize sharp density gradients like shock waves or even Keep reading
Reader Question: Heat Shimmer
Reader dialectical-induction asks: Being as its pretty hot right now where I am, I was always curious, what exactly is occurring when the air is seemingly rippling on a hot Keep reading
The Colors of Soap
The brilliant and beautiful colors of a bubble are directly related the the thickness of the soap film surrounding it. When light shines on the soap film, some rays are reflected Keep reading
Bubble Lenses
In this video, artist Jesse Zanzinger experiments with the lens-like refractive properties of bubbles. Though focused on the bending of light, there’s plenty here in terms of coalescence, surface tension, Keep reading
Liquid Lenses
Here astronaut Andre Kuipers demonstrates fluid dynamics in microgravity. A roughly spherical droplet of water acts as a lens, refracting the image of his face so that it appears upside Keep reading