William Atkins
Sunday, 01 February 2009 21:13
Science -
Space
Page 1 of 2
NASA astrophysicist Peter Wasilewski studies the magnetic properties of meteorites and Moon and Earth rocks. However, after work he switches from rocks to ice, where he becomes a Frizion artist. A Frizion is an image of ice that is taken with polarizing light. Wasilewski calls it "Painting with light on a canvas of ice."
Dr. Wasilewski, who works at the NASA Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics at the Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt, Maryland), describes his “Frozen visions," which loosely forms the new word “Frizion,” better on his
Frizion website.
He says,
“Thin layers of water are frozen, manipulated, and viewed through polarized light. Light has wave-like properties, one of which is vibration. Ordinary white light vibrates in many directions, but a polarizing filter blocks all light except that which is vibrating in a single direction.”
Further,
“A polarizing filter is placed on a light table to polarize the light passing through. A petri dish with a thin layer of water in the process of freezing is placed over the filter. As the polarized light passes through the forming ice crystals, it is bent in two slightly different directions and forms two different rays of light. The color palette in the images is created by rotating a second polarizing filter placed over the ice to intercept and resolve these emerging light rays.”
Wasilewski especially likes the ices of Antarctica. In fact, he learned about the art of imaging while studying samples of pale blue ice near the Transantarctic Mountains, which divide east and west Antarctica.
In fact, he has spent over twenty-five years, and taken six expeditions, studying snow and ice in the Antarctic. He says,
“With a microscopic look at the ice using the spectrum, I’m able to see how the ice differs.” [
ThinkExist.com]
A Frizion is formed only on Earth, at least as far as scientists have so far learned. Water ice is found in different forms throughout the Universe.
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