Difference between revisions of "Iridescence"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
== Description == | == Description == | ||
| − | The shimmery color effect seen on butterfly wings, soap bubbles, or with a thin oil film on water. Iridescence is caused by the diffraction of light between two adjacent materials with different refractive indices. [[ | + | The shimmery color effect seen on butterfly wings, soap bubbles, or with a thin oil film on water. Iridescence is caused by the diffraction of light between two adjacent materials with different refractive indices. [[Devitrified glass]] sometimes has an iridescent sheen due to the thin surface scales. |
== Synonyms and Related Terms == | == Synonyms and Related Terms == | ||
| Line 14: | Line 14: | ||
File:BlueMorph_Butterfly_irrid_wik.jpg|Iridescent butterfly wings | File:BlueMorph_Butterfly_irrid_wik.jpg|Iridescent butterfly wings | ||
File:02 Irid.Pearl_fine 200x Refl.jpg|Iridescent Pearl (fine) | File:02 Irid.Pearl_fine 200x Refl.jpg|Iridescent Pearl (fine) | ||
| + | [[File:Soap_Bubble_-_foliage_background_-_iridescent_colours_-_Traquair_040801.jpg|Soap bubbles]] | ||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
| Line 25: | Line 26: | ||
[[Category:Materials database]] | [[Category:Materials database]] | ||
| + | [[File:Soap_Bubble_-_foliage_background_-_iridescent_colours_-_Traquair_040801.jpg|400px]] | ||
Revision as of 12:26, 25 August 2020
Description
The shimmery color effect seen on butterfly wings, soap bubbles, or with a thin oil film on water. Iridescence is caused by the diffraction of light between two adjacent materials with different refractive indices. Devitrified glass sometimes has an iridescent sheen due to the thin surface scales.
Synonyms and Related Terms
iridescent
Additional Images
Greek bowl
MFA Acc. #: 30.213
Iridescent butterfly wings
Iridescent Pearl (fine)
Resources and Citations
- Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)
- Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridescence
