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An optical phenomenon is any observable event which results from the interaction of light and matter. See also list of optical topics and optics.
Common optical phenomena are often due to the interaction of light from the sun or moon with the atmosphere, clouds, water, or dust and other particulates. One common example would be the rainbow, when light from the sun is reflected off water droplets in rain as it falls to the ground. Others, such as the green flash, are rare due to atmospheric conditions. Some, such as instances of Fata morgana, are commonplace only in certain locations.
Other phenomena are simply interesting aspects of optics, or optical effects. The colors generated by a prism are often shown in classrooms for instance.
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A list of optical phenomena
Entopic phenomena include optical phenomena arising from the structures of the eye.
Some optical illusions can be explained as observations of unusual optical phenomena.
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Atmospheric optical phenomena
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Auroral light (northern and southern lights, aurora borealis and aurora australis)
Glories (also known as Brocken's Specter or Specter of the Brocken)
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Other optical phenomena
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Optical effects
Aura, a phenomenon in which gas or dust surrounding an object luminesces or reflects light from the object.
Diffraction, the apparent bending and spreading of light waves when they meet an obstruction.
Rayleigh scattering (Why the sky is blue, sunsets are red, clouds are white, and associated phenomena)
The separation of light into colors by a prism
The ability of light to travel through space or through a vacuum.
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Entoptic phenomena
Phosphenes from stimulation other than by light (e.g., mechanical, electrical) of the rod cells and cones of the eye or of other neurons of the visual system
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Optical illusions
The unusually large size and rich color of the Moon as it rises and sets
There are many phenomena which result from either the particle or the wave nature of light. Some are quite subtle and observable only by precise measurement using scientific instruments. One famous observation was of the bending of light from a star by the Sun during a solar eclipse. This demonstrated that space is curved. See Theory of relativity.
Observations of some phenomena such as the photoelectric effect, the flow of electric current in a material or through a vacuum (as in a photocell) when the material is exposed to light, led to advances in science, as they could not be easily explained by existing theory.
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Unexplained phenomena
Some phenomena are still unexplained, and they could very possibly be some kind of optical phenomena. Some consider many of these "mysteries" to be simply local tourist attractions not worthy of investigation. *
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Further reading
Thomas D. Rossing and Christopher J. Chiaverina, Light Science: Physics and the Visual Arts, Springer, New York, 1999, hardback, ISBN 0-387-98827-0
Robert Greenler, Rainbows, Halos, and Glories, Elton-Wolf Publishing, 1999, hardback, ISBN 0-897-16926-3
Polarized Light in Nature, G. P. Können, Translated by G. A. Beerling, Cambridge University Press, 1985, hardcover, ISBN 0-521-25862-6
M.G.J. Minnaert, Light and Color in the Outdoors, ISBN 0-387-97935-2
John Naylor "Out of the Blue: A 24-hour Skywatcher's Guide", CUP, 2002, ISBN 0-521-80925-8
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