Schlieren photography takes advantage of the different refractive index of different materials — how fast light can travel through different substances, even the difference between hot and cold air — and produces spectacular images of the unseen forces that surround us. These inhomogeneities were first observed by Robert Hooke in the 1600s, and turned into an observational technique some 200 years later by Léon Foucault and August Toepler. Schlieren photography is now used mostly for studying aerodynamics and fluid flow, but also makes for some great images. Below, a primer on how it works.

David Crotty

David Crotty

David Crotty is a Senior Consultant at Clarke & Esposito, a boutique management consulting firm focused on strategic issues related to professional and academic publishing and information services. Previously, David was the Editorial Director, Journals Policy for Oxford University Press. He oversaw journal policy across OUP’s journals program, drove technological innovation, and served as an information officer. David acquired and managed a suite of research society-owned journals with OUP, and before that was the Executive Editor for Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, where he created and edited new science books and journals, along with serving as a journal Editor-in-Chief. He has served on the Board of Directors for the STM Association, the Society for Scholarly Publishing and CHOR, Inc., as well as The AAP-PSP Executive Council. David received his PhD in Genetics from Columbia University and did developmental neuroscience research at Caltech before moving from the bench to publishing.

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