The effect of a polarizer on a rainbow

This is what happens when you use a polarizer to take a pic of a rainbow. :)

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• rainbow
• polarizer

[mguzman011]

"Is the world too gay? Use a polarizer!"

[ailime]

brilliant demonstration of the utility of a polarizer :D thank you for this

[gvonderau]

Cool I might buy one, I hate when you're about to take a photo and there's a damn distracting rainbow in the background.

[MacacoPulando]

@strictpolicy A polarizer does not work as an amplifier, so it can never make the object appear brighter.

[MacacoPulando]

@StuartHaight Not quite. Polarizers work by filtering a certain orientation of electric field vector from incident EM waves, in our case visible light. If for example I have a polarizer oriented such that it blocks all electric field oriented in the vertical direction, but passes all electric fields oriented in the x direction, I will block or transmit completely fields oriented along the axis, but only partially if they are at an angle to the axis. This is why you have to rotate the filter.

[zeroatoms]

Double rainbow all the way across the skyyy! Yeah-eyhey-eyeh!

[TheCrasshole]

should of named the video "PULSATING RAINBOW STUNS SCIENTISTS!"

[pwlae]

so intense

[NerdCrafters]

DOUBLE RAINBOW!

[achkasovnikita]

double rainbow!

[artfx9]

OMG DOUBLE RAINBOW!

[ammubhave]

@g1234538 yes, when diffraction occurs, a primary and a secondary spectrum is formed. primary is smaller and brighter and the secondary is far dimmer and bigger