Digital Home Thoughts: Taking Pictures Of The Invisible World Around You

"Ever taken a picture of a cough? Not just somebody coughing. No, we mean the actual air currents as they’re being expelled. Well, they just did it at Penn State, thanks to the magic of schlieren photography. “Schlieren” are density variations in a gas or liquid that you can’t see with the naked eye, like air currents caused by heat, movement, or explosions."

Photojojo has put up an interesting article explaining how you can take photographs of air density with a digital camera and a few extra tools. Yes, you could probably use an old film camera, but the immediate results of a digital camera would give you instant feedback as to whether you're doing it right. It can allow for some really striking and interesting pictures, and is probably a great way to spend a weekend. The trick isn't limited to cameras either. With enough time and effort, you can probably set up a webcam to do the same thing and watch was the wind passes by. On the slightly geekier side, I can actually see this having a more practical use, like examining airflow when designing that custom PC case you've always wanted. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to see if I can find those x-ray glasses I got as a kid.