How does light split into colors?

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The discussion centers on the phenomenon of discrete lines of colored light appearing on the floor, attributed to the interaction of sunlight with vertical blinds and possibly a nearby light dome. Participants suggest that the vertical structure of the blinds acts as slits, allowing specific wavelengths of light to pass through and create the observed spectrum. The light dome's convex shape is believed to focus and direct sunlight into the room, enhancing the intensity of the colors. Geometry and angles are discussed to explain the positioning and behavior of the light rays. Overall, the combination of dispersion and the blinds' configuration is key to understanding this colorful optical effect.
  • #51
Perhaps around the same time on a Sunny day, you could go outdoors and see if there is a spectrum projected on a nearby wall or anything else nearby. If so you can probable get a good idea as to where it is coming from.

Cheers,
Tom
 
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  • #52
Tom.G said:
Using the most recent photo that @YeeHaa posted:
Using the much lower distortion of that photo, I get the parallelism of the color rays as within 2.3°, well within the measurement error of being parallel.
No way.
They definitely converge closer than the horizon.

Look a the truly parallel rays of the tiles. They converge at infinity.
The light rays definitely converge within metres of the window.
rays.jpg
 

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  • #53
The Yellow shows the vanishing point of the Red lines relatiing to the floor tiles.
Light Split-2.png
 

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  • #54
Tom.G said:
The Yellow shows the vanishing point of the Red lines relatiing to the floor tiles.
Yes. That'll be the horizon, same as Omcheeto showed in post 16.
The light rays do not converge at the horizon, but much closer.
 
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