This image, taken by Grover Schrayer, depicts a rainbow casted over smoke from a blown out candle. Burning a candle results in Carbon Dioxide and Water Vapor. After the candle is blown out, the wick remains warm while the surrounding areas begin to cool down rapidly. Some of the candle wax continues to melt while other parts vaporize into water droplets. When the picture was taken the light from the camera refracted off the tiny vapor droplets in the smoke and on the wick creating iridescence shown as a rainbow. This unique flow of the smoke originally caught my attention. The art in this image fascinates me not only because of the beautiful aesthetic but also the beauty of both chemistry and physics.
Sources:
Photo Credit: Grover Schrayer, Schrayer, G. (2010, October 29). Smoke droplets with refraction. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/14833125@N02/5125516204/in/photostream/
Article: Plait, P. (2021, October 22). Iridescence, like a candle in the wind. SYFY Official Site. https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/iridescence-like-a-candle-in-the-wind
12 Comments. Leave new
Second prize. The flow of air from top to bottom showed layers air when blowing off the air, the rainbow color on top if a nice effect as well.
First Prize: I really like how this image captures many different flows. I’ve never seen candle smoke in such detail before and never realized how colorful and beautiful it can be. Additionally, I think it’s cool that this image shows the melted wax, which stories the flow since the candle was first lit.
First Prize
This is a beautiful image. I love all the detail in the smoke pattern and the colors with the refraction of the camera light. Additionally, I think your post did a great job connecting the physics of what was occurring with each component of the image.
Second Prize
You post had a lot of detail and connections to physical concepts that helped illustrate the phenomena happening in the image. I also think the image itself is great quality, and is what initially drew me in to your post.
Second Prize
I really enjoy this image, capturing an everyday task in such a beautiful way. I think it is gorgeous how the curve of the wick affects the fluid flowing off the edge. The vapor droplets glistening in the smoke is a lovely composition; the way the light hits them is very interesting.
First Prize.
I really enjoy how detailed the image is. The layers of flow are visible and it looks extremely cool. I think it is so cool how something so common is actually so beautiful up close.
First Prize
I really liked this post due to the amount of detail it showcases. The layers of vapor look amazing and are only enhanced by the iridescent rainbow effects. I would’ve never thought there was so much going on from simply blowing out a candle. This was a great photo choice from a science and art viewpoint.
First Prize: The level of detail captured in this image is astounding. The individual droplets of vapor coming off the wick are gorgeous, I really enjoyed the layers visible in the flow as well as the iridescence effect. Great choice!
First Prize
The color, the shapes, the simplicity of the source…incredible. I think my favorite part is the light diffraction off the top of the smoke’s water droplets. I’m absolutely going to stare into candles as I blow them out going forward.
First Prize
I love this image and the way it shows a fluid moving through space. It is also very interesting to see up close such a common phenomenon, which we take for granted and forget how beautiful it can look, as well as the physics behind it.
Second Prize
I really enjoy the simplicity of this image. It reminds me of the amount of things we take for granted, such as the behind-the-scenes of blowing out a candle. Your explanation of the process helped me understand what exactly is being shown here, great job!
First Prize
I loved your post, Patrick, because it’s gorgeous and shows interesting chemical and physical phenomena using a common object. I’ll definitely look closer when blowing out a candle next time! Your explanation of the process of those rainbows being created was well-explained and helped me understand the science behind the image.