Animal Optics
In this blog we have already seen photos of spiderwebs scattering rays
of light, and even a thistle seed showing spectral colours. Now I
would like to contribute to this collection with another possible
source for observing this optical phenomenon: cat's hair. The pictures
attached show the dark S�m�n (of M�nika Landy-Gyebn�r) and the white
Manci (my cat). When light comes from the appropriate angle, their fur
can display the colours of the rainbow surprisingly clearly. Please,
click the images to see it better. Full size photos of S�m�n's and
Manci's shining hair are also available.
The other photo is another "animal test". Given that birds' feathers
have a very regular structure, I was interested whether they show
corona-like diffraction if we place one in front of a light source. I
found that the repetitive structure of barbs, barbules and tiny hooks
interlocking on them create beautiful interference patterns. This
picture - somewhat out of focus - shows an owl's feather (a secondary
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