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The Nature of Light and Color in the open air


The Nature of Light and Color in the Open Air is a classic book by M. Minnaert dealing with optical phenomenon. The book takes examples from everyday life and some not so common phenomenon like eclipses and halos.

The edition that I have was published in 1954 by Dover.

The book really covers wide spectrum of phenomenon involving light. The contents of the book are as follows

1 Sunlight and Shadows
2 Reflection of Light
3 Refraction of Light
4 Curvature of light rays in the atmosphere
5 Intensity and brightness of light
6 The Eye
7 Colors
8 After Images and Contrast Phenomenon
9 Judging shape and motion
10 Rainbows, halos and coronae
11 Light and color of the sky
12 Light and color of the landscape
13 Luminous plants, animals and stones

Almost all the optical phenomenon that I ever wanted to know about or wanted an explanation has an entry here. And the most important factor that I feel that makes this book really stand out is the fact that least mathematics is used. Complex mathematics is avoided, only when required simple maths is used. Most of the explanations are qualitative with emphasis given on the basic physics involved, and the logical fallout of the situation at hand. Also the illustrations are good, they really explain the phenomenon.

This is what the back cover of the book says:

``Rainbows, mirages, multiple moons, black snow, colored shadows, irridescent clouds, halos, green surf, and hundreds of other natural phenomenon are clearly and simply explained in this unique book by Prof. Minnaert of the University of Utrecht. Written with complete lucidity, it is a book not only for astronomers, physicists and geographers, but also for artists and photopgraphers and for anyone else who would like to know more about how to observe and understand the strange behavior of light and color in nature.

The author shows just how, when, and under what conditions to observe the fata morgana (a complex mirage in form of a city in the sky), scintillations of stars and planets, apparent motion in the shadows and objects due to air currents, color changes due to refraction and reflection, illusions of motion and direction, effects rapidly moving spokes, the changes in color and light due to eclipses of the sun and moon, magnificent colors on a frozen window pane, or an extended body of water, the deceptive appearance of objects beneath the surface of water, and many other such phenomenon.

The theory explaining most of these effects is given in ordinary language only occasionally supplemented by elementary mathematical demonstrations. In addition, Professor Minnaert has included 202 illustrations (including 42 photographs) covering practically every phenomenon. These illustrations make hundreds of details explicit so that you can identify then at the sight and try experiments outlined. ''


So next time you think you need an explanation for any optical phenomenon you know where to look for it...

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