Chapter 9 - Color:
Miscellaneous

Color Patterns

Miscellaneous. - There are many interesting effects due to diffraction of light by edges of objects, by meshes such as a wire screen or a handkerchief, by the eye-media, etc. On looking at a very bright small light-source it may be seen to be surrounded by many colors.

Streamers of light appear to radiate from brilliant sources and all bright areas colored or colorless, when viewed amid dark surroundings, appear to be surrounded by diffuse brushes of light. These brushes are likely to be of a bluish tint.

An Example of Different Colored Circles
Courtesy of Illusion-Optical.com

Many of these phenomena are readily explained, but this cannot be done safely without knowing or recognizing all conditions. Many are not easily explained, especially when reported by others, who may not recognize certain important conditions. For example, authentic observers have reported that black letters on white paper appeared vivid red on a white background, under certain conditions. Of the latter, the apparently important one was "sun's rays falling aslant the forehead." When the eyes were shaded with the hand the letters immediately appeared black as they should.

The influence of the color of an object upon its apparent weight is relatively slight, but there is evidence of a tendency to judge a red or black object to be slightly heavier than a yellow or blue object of the same weight. It appears that hue is a minor factor in influencing the judgment and that there is no correlation between the affective quality of a color and its influence upon apparent weight. Although the scanty evidence available attributes but a slight influence to color in this respect, it is of passing interest to remind us of the many, yet subtle, factors which work to modify the judgments we make.