photo:sunburst
creating sunstars and sunburst rays of light in your photos
see also:
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When diffraction occurs around an edge like an aperture blade, it creates two visible spikes of light 180° apart and perpendicular to the blade edge
On a lens with an even number of blades, the diffraction spikes from opposite sides of the aperture overlap. So n-number of even blades yields n-spikes.
With an odd number of blades, there is no overlap. N-number of odd blades yields 2n spikes.
Newtonian telescopes give diffraction spikes from stars as a result of the struts holding the secondary mirror in place
a circular aperture does not give a sunstar pattern but creates an Airy Disk - a bright circular spot surrounded by concentric circles that represent areas of constructive and destructive interference
introduction
when photographing a scene with a bright light source in the scene such as the sun, or street light, many people like to shoot it with rays of light coming from it
this is best achieved with:
apertures f/11-22 (but remember as you stop down, although you get more defined rays of light, diffraction effects will reduce your image detail and sharpness)
use a lens with a 9-bladed diaphragm (odd numbers are best)
consider partly obscuring the light source
see also:
photo/sunburst.txt · Last modified: 2018/05/20 17:01 by gary1