* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia
I share in Las Fotos de los Lectores de La Vanguardia these photographs taken in Roses where you can see an iridescence in a cloud.
On a gray afternoon with brief moments of sun, this cloud of colors caught my attention. Apart from the scientific explanation, it seems to me a beautiful optical phenomenon that clouds can have these pastel shades.
Iridescence is an optical phenomenon characterized as the property of certain surfaces in which the hue of light varies according to the angle from which the surface is viewed, such as oil stains, soap bubbles, the wings of a butterfly and the playable side of the laser disc, either CD or DVD.
Iridescence is caused by multiple reflections of light off multiple semi-transparent surfaces, where subsequent phase shifts and interference from the reflections modulate the light by amplifying or attenuating different wavelengths.
Depending on the angle from which the surface is illuminated, it will appear in different colors. Iridescence is very common in nature, we can easily see it in insects, birds and fish, and even in plants.
Iris, in Greek mythology, is the personification of the rainbow and messenger of the gods, which left a trail of luminous colors after its passage.
