Abstract
THE reflection of sunlight from various surfaces, including those of finger nails, skin, paper, wood, plant leaves, and glass slides covered with thin films of dried blood, produces mosaic-like varicoloured patterns which yield to the unaided eye an impression of the presence of many small but discrete coloured granular particles. The coloured mosaics are particularly brilliant when the surfaces are viewed near grazing incidence, although in some instances the effect is clearly evident from other angles. Such patterns are not evident on the polished surface of glass. The optical irregularity of the former surfaces is commonly evident to the unaided eye only by the generalized cloudiness or haziness. The mosaic pattern is readily seen when the reflecting surface, adjusted to an appropriate angle, is placed at a distance of approximately four to fourteen inches from the eye. At greater distances the detail of design is lost. At lesser distances the chromogenic features are not apparent. An illusion of flow of the coloured 'particles' is produced by slight tilting of the surface while under observation. It thus appears as if different groups of surface projections come into play with a resultant rearrangement of the coloured spots.
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SCULL, C. Diffraction Patterns Produced by Surfaces in Sunlight. Nature 142, 876 (1938). https://doi.org/10.1038/142876a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/142876a0
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