Schlieren Photography

Schlieren Photography - First Attempt 

Have you ever found yourself calling around the state of California in search of an expert mirror maker? 

Or taking apart a telescope just to retrieve the concave mirror inside? 

Probably not, but those were two steps I took on the long journey of setting up my Schlieren photography demo and creating this video. The video is called my "First Attempt" because I hope to create more videos using Schlieren Photography in the future. 

I had to set up this demo several times before it was successful, but if you watch the video, I think you will agree it was worth the effort.

So, how does it work? A point source of light is reflected in a concave telescope mirror. The changes in air density bend the light. In the last scene, a blue filter helps when it is halfway across the lens. 

You can read more about Schlieren Photography at this NASA website. The article includes a bit of history and interesting images.

If you enjoyed the piano music in the video, it is by Mario Systems, a project created in collaboration with my siblings. The piano is played by Chris Lincoln and Bonnie Lincoln, my brother and sister, and produced by me. More songs can be heard here https://myspace.com/mariosystems.