Frizion Illume

Scientific images of cosmic dust clouds or even frozen water can be esthetic too.
In fact, this picture of thin layers of forming ice crystals uses a scientific
understanding of light's wave properties solely for artistic purposes. Titled
"Illume", the picture was created by astrophysicist Peter Wasilewski. To make the
picture, the crystals were illuminated by light shining through a polarizing filter
-- a filter that restricts the otherwise randomly oriented light waves to vibrate
in only one direction. While passing through the ice, different colors of the
polarized light are then refracted and reflected along slightly different paths by
the delicate crystalline layers. Viewing the scene with a second polarizing filter
brings out the wondrous display of structure and color. Painting with "light, the
laws of physics, and an attitude" Wasilewski has created a series of these evocative
ice images that he refers to as Frozen Vision or Frizion.