Why does a polarizer lead to these strange visuals above the clouds?
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I was on a plane recently and took a few pictures from the window. I had the polarizer on initially, and observed this circular rainbow effect:
.
What is the reason for this?
polarizer aerial-photography
asked 3 hours ago
oarfish
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I was on a plane recently and took a few pictures from the window. I had the polarizer on initially, and observed this circular rainbow effect:
.
What is the reason for this?
polarizer aerial-photography
asked 3 hours ago
oarfish
1211
New contributor
oarfish is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
I was on a plane recently and took a few pictures from the window. I had the polarizer on initially, and observed this circular rainbow effect:
.
What is the reason for this?
polarizer aerial-photography
asked 3 hours ago
oarfish
1211
New contributor
oarfish is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
I was on a plane recently and took a few pictures from the window. I had the polarizer on initially, and observed this circular rainbow effect:
.
What is the reason for this?
polarizer aerial-photography
polarizer aerial-photography
asked 3 hours ago
oarfish
1211
New contributor
oarfish is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
oarfish
1211
New contributor
oarfish is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
oarfish
1211
New contributor
oarfish is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
oarfish
1211
asked 3 hours ago
oarfish
1211
1211
New contributor
oarfish is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
oarfish is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
oarfish is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
add a comment |
2 Answers
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up vote
9
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A sheet of glass or plastics will typically have internal stresses. For glass and some clear plastics these lead to the birefringence patterns you see, when you shine (partially) polarized light on them and then view them through a polarizing filter. You can try this out by either using two polarizing filters, one in front and one behind, or holding such an object in front of an LCD monitor and putting a filter in front. If your filter came in a clear case, that could be a good test object. You can find out more about the topic by searching for "polarizer" and "stress", "stress analysis", or "birefringence". In fact, the Wikipedia article on birefringence has a lot of information and some example pictures.
In your case the sky is providing a partially polarized light source, the airplane window produces the birefringence patterns, and the polarizing filter makes them visible to the camera.
answered 2 hours ago
ad42
38924
add a comment |
up vote
0
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I have no hard evidence to support it, but I think it's the toughened/laminated glass in the window, that causes a partial, un-aligned polarisation of its own.
It reminds me of a similar - though different pattern - you can see with a polariser or just a decent pair of sunglasses, on car windscreens.
answered 3 hours ago
Tetsujin
7,59621946
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
9
down vote
A sheet of glass or plastics will typically have internal stresses. For glass and some clear plastics these lead to the birefringence patterns you see, when you shine (partially) polarized light on them and then view them through a polarizing filter. You can try this out by either using two polarizing filters, one in front and one behind, or holding such an object in front of an LCD monitor and putting a filter in front. If your filter came in a clear case, that could be a good test object. You can find out more about the topic by searching for "polarizer" and "stress", "stress analysis", or "birefringence". In fact, the Wikipedia article on birefringence has a lot of information and some example pictures.
In your case the sky is providing a partially polarized light source, the airplane window produces the birefringence patterns, and the polarizing filter makes them visible to the camera.
answered 2 hours ago
ad42
38924
add a comment |
up vote
9
down vote
A sheet of glass or plastics will typically have internal stresses. For glass and some clear plastics these lead to the birefringence patterns you see, when you shine (partially) polarized light on them and then view them through a polarizing filter. You can try this out by either using two polarizing filters, one in front and one behind, or holding such an object in front of an LCD monitor and putting a filter in front. If your filter came in a clear case, that could be a good test object. You can find out more about the topic by searching for "polarizer" and "stress", "stress analysis", or "birefringence". In fact, the Wikipedia article on birefringence has a lot of information and some example pictures.
In your case the sky is providing a partially polarized light source, the airplane window produces the birefringence patterns, and the polarizing filter makes them visible to the camera.
answered 2 hours ago
ad42
38924
add a comment |
up vote
9
down vote
up vote
9
down vote
A sheet of glass or plastics will typically have internal stresses. For glass and some clear plastics these lead to the birefringence patterns you see, when you shine (partially) polarized light on them and then view them through a polarizing filter. You can try this out by either using two polarizing filters, one in front and one behind, or holding such an object in front of an LCD monitor and putting a filter in front. If your filter came in a clear case, that could be a good test object. You can find out more about the topic by searching for "polarizer" and "stress", "stress analysis", or "birefringence". In fact, the Wikipedia article on birefringence has a lot of information and some example pictures.
In your case the sky is providing a partially polarized light source, the airplane window produces the birefringence patterns, and the polarizing filter makes them visible to the camera.
answered 2 hours ago
ad42
38924
A sheet of glass or plastics will typically have internal stresses. For glass and some clear plastics these lead to the birefringence patterns you see, when you shine (partially) polarized light on them and then view them through a polarizing filter. You can try this out by either using two polarizing filters, one in front and one behind, or holding such an object in front of an LCD monitor and putting a filter in front. If your filter came in a clear case, that could be a good test object. You can find out more about the topic by searching for "polarizer" and "stress", "stress analysis", or "birefringence". In fact, the Wikipedia article on birefringence has a lot of information and some example pictures.
In your case the sky is providing a partially polarized light source, the airplane window produces the birefringence patterns, and the polarizing filter makes them visible to the camera.
answered 2 hours ago
ad42
38924
edited 2 hours ago
answered 2 hours ago
ad42
38924
answered 2 hours ago
ad42
38924
answered 2 hours ago
ad42
38924
38924
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
I have no hard evidence to support it, but I think it's the toughened/laminated glass in the window, that causes a partial, un-aligned polarisation of its own.
It reminds me of a similar - though different pattern - you can see with a polariser or just a decent pair of sunglasses, on car windscreens.
answered 3 hours ago
Tetsujin
7,59621946
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
I have no hard evidence to support it, but I think it's the toughened/laminated glass in the window, that causes a partial, un-aligned polarisation of its own.
It reminds me of a similar - though different pattern - you can see with a polariser or just a decent pair of sunglasses, on car windscreens.
answered 3 hours ago
Tetsujin
7,59621946
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
I have no hard evidence to support it, but I think it's the toughened/laminated glass in the window, that causes a partial, un-aligned polarisation of its own.
It reminds me of a similar - though different pattern - you can see with a polariser or just a decent pair of sunglasses, on car windscreens.
answered 3 hours ago
Tetsujin
7,59621946
I have no hard evidence to support it, but I think it's the toughened/laminated glass in the window, that causes a partial, un-aligned polarisation of its own.
It reminds me of a similar - though different pattern - you can see with a polariser or just a decent pair of sunglasses, on car windscreens.
answered 3 hours ago
Tetsujin
7,59621946
answered 3 hours ago
Tetsujin
7,59621946
answered 3 hours ago
Tetsujin
7,59621946
answered 3 hours ago
Tetsujin
7,59621946
7,59621946
add a comment |
add a comment |
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