Mist Bands

Extract

“About, about in reel and rout,
The death fires danced at night:
The water, like a witch’s oils,
Burnt green and blue and white.”
Coleridge

(1) If a small light source, S, is observed through a parallel sided glass sheet, G, such as a window, the only result is that S appears to be less brilliant. But if G is misted over by moisture, the apparent brilliancy of S is further decreased, and diffuse haloes are seen concentric with S. If S moves at a steady speed parallel with G, the haloes appear to move with it. But if S is a discharge lamp, so that it flickers steadily, a new phenomenon is noticed as it moves: these are evenly spaced parallel light and dark bands at right angles to the direction of motion of S. When S is a polychromatic source, such as a mercury-discharge lamp, both the haloes and the bands are coloured.