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⟪⟪    Brewster's dark patch    ⟫⟫

 

Brewster's dark patch is the dark spot that can be seen when blue skies are reflected on water surfaces (although it can of course be seen on other reflective surfaces as well). The light coming from blue skies is polarized, and when this light hits the water surface at an angle equal to Brewster's angle there will be no reflection, resulting in a dark patch. If the source of light is unpolarized (like for example an overcast sky), the Brewster's dark patch can still be seen by viewing the reflection through a polarizer.

Brewster's dark patch can be seen at the bottom of the photo. (2012-06-23)

 

Brewster's dark patch can be seen at the bottom of the photo. (2013-05-18)

 

Brewster's dark patch can be seen at the bottom of the photo. (2013-09-08)

 

[ polarizer || polarizer rotated 90 degrees ] ⇛ In this case, the light source was unpolarized (an overcast sky), but by using a polarizer on the lens I could get a dark patch. (2018-09-27)

 

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