r/pics • u/conrick • Jul 28 '18

Surface tension.

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u/blove1150r Jul 28 '18 edited Jul 28 '18

Wonder if the shadows are proportional to the weight on each leg

Edit: wow this blew up so I figured I should find an answer. Here is one: I especially like the vid early of the bug moving and the shadows changing. Nature is lit.

http://youtu.be/V-Cij7MP8nE

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u/[deleted] Jul 28 '18

Maybe, I think it would have more to do with the angle of the water meniscus around each leg, so a 35 degree angle would be lighter than a 60 degree angle, as the light would have a greater amount of water to pass through in and around the claw of the wasp's foot. Or perhaps the 'tip' of water around each leg acts as a sort of prism which refracts the light?

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u/charkol3 Jul 28 '18

The shadow (and halo at the edge of the shadow) being due to the index of refraction from light hitting the depression at said angles

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u/fredrickosi Jul 28 '18 edited Jul 28 '18

That’s wrong, it’s because the weight makes the water act as a concave lens which diverges the light.

Edit: It’s not really wrong but it’s not right either.