Awesome Optics

The Action Lab shows off the unusual optical properties of Ulexite, a mineral that looks semi-opaque but shows objects it’s placed on top of. Also known as “television stone,” the rock transfers light through tiny tubes that act like organic fiber optics. You can find chunks of the stuff on Etsy if you want to try it yourself.

Typical night vision scopes display monochrome images in shades of green. Yashica has developed a scope that can display and record full-color video in the darkness of night. It also has a 3-level infrared illuminator to produce high-contrast black-and-white footage with a viewing distance of up to 1970 feet and a sensitivity of 0.0037 lux.

Inspired by the Backyard Scientist’s industrial laser experiments, YouTuber Styropyro got a cheap but powerful industrial fiber laser of his own. He started by testing the 2-kilowatt laser’s cleaning and burning capabilities; then, he attached a beam-spreading lens to help light things on fire from a long distance.

Japan’s Sigma Corporation makes all kinds of camera lenses. Process X takes us on a factory tour for a look at how their interchangeable lenses come together, from polishing glass to assembling tiny components and even hand-painting the dial markings. Production requires precision and cleanliness from start to finish. No wonder lenses are so expensive.

When you apply a curve to a mirror, it distorts the image it reflects. In these two videos, Dr. Boyd F. Edwards shows some of the strange visual effects that happen when an object is placed in front of a large concave mirror. Objects can appear upright, inverted, magnified, or minified depending on their distance relative to the mirror’s focal point.

With the right lens curvature, it’s possible to project an image that’s not visible until light shines through it. Science educator Steve Mould explains the optical and mathematical properties of these uniquely engineered lenses. A similar effect can be created with mirrors and reflected light. Rayform specializes in the technique.

If you’re even a halfway decent golfer, a rangefinder is an essential tool to boost performance. The Cobalt Q6 Slope Rangefinder calculates distance and slope like a tech-whiz caddy. It has premium optics, an integrated display, an adjustable diopter, and a waterproof aluminum housing to prevent water hazard disasters.

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.

Videos and film images aren’t moving at all. They’re just a collection of back-to-back frames that our brains stitch together to create the illusion of movement. Joe Hanson of the PBS series Be Smart takes a deep dive into the way that our eyes and minds process images and how motion picture devices work.

Smartphone cameras are pretty amazing, except for capturing long-distance shots. The cast-aluminum Nocs Provisions Photo Rig Adapter is a handy pocket pal that clamps on to align a phone lens to a Zoom Tube Monocular Telescope or standard binoculars for true analog zoom photos and videos.

The ultra-compact, all-weather Zoom Tube has best-in-class optics and a wide field of view to bring nature closer. Really close. An optional 4x multiplier lens turns it into a field microscope. Weighing just 9.5 oz., it easily slides into a pocket, and the awesomely rugged, grippy, water-resistant ribbed housing absorbs impact.

Engineer Matt Ferraro came up with an innovative method to hide images in clear acrylic. At first glance, the tile appears to be completely transparent, but when light passes through it onto a surface, an image is revealed. The technique relies on caustic patterns which cast shadows and transmit light at varying intensities.

YouTube science channel Journey to the Microcosmos showcases astounding close-up images of the tiniest organisms on Earth. In this video, Hank Green looks back at their first four seasons, and celebrates with a set of new tools for Master of Microscopes James Weiss.

Now that The Action Lab has painted a room in the blackest and glowing-ist paints, he’s renovated his temporary space again. This time, he covered its walls, ceiling, and floor entirely with mirrors. Despite the reflections seeming infinite, he explains how they eventually drop off.

Recently seen in a much larger version, this intriguing piece of plastic distorts light in order to make objects placed behind it look like they’re invisible. NightHawkInLight goes beyond the wow factor to explain how the prisms in this fresnel lens work their magic. If you want to play with a Lubor’s lens, you can find a bunch on Amazon.

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.

Veritasium filmed his latest video to show ultraviolet light so that we could see how objects would look like if we could see UV light. Sunscreen becomes dark, as do many light objects. He goes on to explain why this is the case and how it can be useful.

Schlieren imaging is a method of visualization which plays with light refraction to capture images of normally invisible fluid patterns like air movement. Here, Veritasium walks us through a variant which uses colored filters to produce some astounding images.