006 HowIt Works http://www.howitworksdaily.com
Face cream
gets a close-up
Althoughthismightappeartohavebeencrafted
atthehandsofa graphicdesigner,it is infactthe
naturallyoccurringcrystalfilmofa popularface
cream.Smearedoutona coolsurfaceandallowedto
dry,stagesofthechemicalcrystallisationresultinthis
leafytessellation.Thearrayofinterminglingcoloursis
theresultofa phenomenoncalledbirefringence,
wherebylightis splitintotwocomponentsasit
passesthroughthecrystallisation.Thistantalising
tessellationwascapturedbyYevhen
SamuchenkoforTheRoyalPhotographic
Society’s 2019 sciencephotography
competition.Youcanfindoutmore
aboutthisyear’sentriesatrps.
org/spoty.© Karl Gaff