Awesome Light

Dip My Car already painted a car in the world’s blackest paint. Now, there’s something even blacker than that – Musou Black Fabric Kiwami. This unique textile is made with special dyes and an arrangement of fibers that absorb 99.9% of visible light. James from The Action Lab got a spool of the fabric and turned his black car into a really black car.

The speed of light is 299,792,458 meters per second. If you could travel around the Earth at that speed, you could do a round trip in 0.13 seconds. Benjamin Granville of Airplane Mode shows us roughly how fast that is by using Microsoft Flight Simulator to fly all the way around the globe in just eight frames of video.

There’s a good reason that we use ultraviolet light to kill bacteria and other microbes. Journey to the Microcosmos provides a fascinating look at what happens to microbes when exposed to a bright UV light source, including their tendency to explode and disintegrate.

We normally think of water as being clear or maybe having a slight green or blue tint reflected from its surroundings. But Posy reveals a full rainbow of colors hiding in H20 in both steam and liquid forms when the temperature conditions and lighting are just right.

If you heat up a penny with a blow torch then lower it over a puddle of acetone, the reaction with the vapors will make the penny glow like a dim red lightbulb. NileRed shows off the reaction and points out that it must be done with a copper penny and not one with zinc or it will melt. And remember, chemistry is dangerous.

After building a mirrored room that lights up the entire space no matter where a light source is placed, James from The Action Lab wanted to see if he could build a mirrored room that won’t reflect light onto all of its walls. The trick is a space that uses curved mirrors with wraparound corners in specific locations.

Because of their positions at the top and bottom of the Earth, the North Pole and South Pole experience both the longest and shortest days of the year. This fascinating time-lapse animation shows how the top of our planet goes from 24 hours of sunlight a day in the summertime to complete darkness in the winter.

Real laser beams don’t behave like they do in science fiction. Instead of firing in short blasts, they appear as a single coherent beam of light. The Action Lab shows a simple way to achieve the sci-fi effect in camera using a spinning fan blade and by taking advantage of a digital camera’s rolling shutter effect.

French art collective Scale created this hypnotic mechanical light show that uses computer-controlled motors to rotate 48 individual light bars. The installation, designed for the Constellations festival at Cloître des Récollets is interactive, allowing the public to control the display’s movements, light, and sound.

Improve your visibility and personal safety at night with these weather-resistant LED tags that clip onto clothes, bags, and shoes using magnets. Each one has four bright LEDs, which can light up in solid or flashing modes. They last for up to 70 hours between battery changes.

Illustrator Daniele Turturici shows off a little bit of his digital painting technique, as he takes a scene and brings it to life through the addition of light and shadow created by a neon sign. The restaurant’s proprietor is known as a “Draak” in the artist’s universe. Be sure to check out more of his work on Instagram.

Given that the Sun kicks out 35 octillion lumens of light, you’d think it might be hard to fake its brightness indoors. This video from DIY Perks shows us how it’s possible to create an incredibly convincing approximation of its parallel light rays using a high-powered LED, a parabolic dish, and a liquid diffuser.

Canadian camouflage experts Hyperstealth Biotechnology has recently applied for patents on their technology which can bend light around an object to make it vanish from sight when placed in its sweet spot. The paper-thin screen could be used to hide military targets from ground-level threats. More on Vimeo.

If you thought the only way to bend a beam of light was with mirrors, you’d be wrong. MEL Chemistry shows off a few simple experiments you can do with a laser pointer and household items like oil, water, and salt, that demonstrate the nature of reflection and refraction. More here.

Each of these 4″ cubes contains a length of electroluminescent wire that’s been bent into a unique, abstract shape. Thanks to the reflectivity of the box, the light’s pattern repeats itself, creating a great sense of depth. Runs on battery or USB power.

Transform any room into a tranquil spot for relaxation with this bright LED projector, which beams a moving wave of colorful patterns onto your ceiling. It offers 7 color modes, adjustable projection angle, and has a built-in speaker and MP3 player. Requires a USB power source.