- #1
Sane
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I've taken a picture of my christmas lights. I'm wondering if someone could help me explain, or at least name, the phenomenon?
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/5925/physicsphotocontestto9.jpg
Why does light appear to come from 4 distinct points around the light? Even though some bulbs are rotated, the position of these 4 points do not rotate with it. It's always -up-, -right-, -left-, and -down-. Why?
If someone could link me to an article about this phenomenon, or at least give me a name of it, that would help a lot. Some of my friends are saying it has to do with spherical aberration. But I don't understand how. It seems, to me, to be spherical aberration and the following pattern at the same time:
http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/6599/physicsphotoexplainty7.png
Which could be caused by refraction, right? But how?
Thanks for any replies.
- Sane
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/5925/physicsphotocontestto9.jpg
Why does light appear to come from 4 distinct points around the light? Even though some bulbs are rotated, the position of these 4 points do not rotate with it. It's always -up-, -right-, -left-, and -down-. Why?
If someone could link me to an article about this phenomenon, or at least give me a name of it, that would help a lot. Some of my friends are saying it has to do with spherical aberration. But I don't understand how. It seems, to me, to be spherical aberration and the following pattern at the same time:
http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/6599/physicsphotoexplainty7.png
Which could be caused by refraction, right? But how?
Thanks for any replies.
- Sane
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