Spectrum Scientifics Blog

Normally prisms need to be solid in order to properly break up light into a rainbow. A single sheet of glass or other transparent material is not enough to separate sunlight into its component colors. But working with huge chunks of transparent material can be tricky and expensive: The materials cost, the polishing of surfaces, etc. This can make a larger prism both expensive and possibly too heavy. So to simplify things in places you want rainbows, you can use a water prism!

Spectrum now carries several models of water prisms: Pyramid, Diamond, & Double Pyramid.

These water prisms work by simply hanging them in a sunny window in your home. Well, that is not entirely true, first you must fill them up with water (preferably distilled water). This makes the prism a ’solid’ piece of transparent material as far as light is concerned, and the prism will make impressive large rainbows when the light hits it.

(Sadly it has been cloudy ever since we got these water prisms - we promise to put up a nice picture of a rainbow from our display prism when the sun decides to come out again!)

The water prisms Spectrum sells have a big advantage over the models you might find at art & craft shows: they do not leak. Many water prisms have a big problem with leakage as many a well meaning glass artisan tries to make them. They are simple enough to assemble for a talented artists, but to make them not leak? Not so easy. The artist Spectrum uses has a proprietary technique to ensure the water stays in your prism!

Complementing the Rainbow Water Prisms is the Crystal Star Sun Catcher. A suncatcher is not the same as a prism as it is not a solid (or liquid) prism but rather a series of glass panes that refract the light, making diffuse light spots.

Either one of these prisms or the suncatcher is great to put in your sunny window and adds character to your home or office!

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Filed under: Optics, Physics