Bohren, Craig F.

Lock, James A.

English

Cleveland-Marshall College of Law

Cleveland State UniversityEngagedScholarship@CSUPhysics Faculty Publications Physics Department8-20-1991Light and Color in the Open Air: Introduction bythe Feature EditorJames A. LockCleveland State University, j.lock@csuohio.eduCraig F. BohrenFollow this and additional works at: https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/sciphysics_facpubPart of the Physics CommonsHow does access to this work benefit you? Let us know!Publisher's StatementThis paper was published in Applied Optics and is made available as an electronic reprint with thepermission of OSA. The paper can be found at the following URL on the OSA website:http://www.opticsinfobase.org/ao/abstract.cfm?URI=ao-30-24-3381. Systematic or multiplereproduction or distribution to multiple locations via electronic or other means is prohibited and issubject to penalties under law.Repository CitationLock, James A. and Bohren, Craig F., "Light and Color in the Open Air: Introduction by the Feature Editor" (1991). Physics Faculty Publications. 118.https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/sciphysics_facpub/118This Editorial is brought to you for free and open access by the Physics Department at EngagedScholarship@CSU. It has been accepted for inclusion inPhysics Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of EngagedScholarship@CSU. For more information, please contactlibrary.es@csuohio.edu.Original CitationLock, James A. "Light and Color in the Open Air: Introduction by the Feature Editor." Applied Optics 30 (1991): 3381-3381.Light and color in the open air: introduction by the featureeditorJames A. LockA number of years ago Marcel Minnaert wrote a book'that attempted to express the joy that he experiencedin observing and understanding optical phenomena inthe natural world around him.2 3 This collection ofpapers, which takes its name from Minnaert's book, isan attempt on the part of the authors similarly toexpress the joy that they experience in observing andunderstanding nature. This collection grew out of thetalks presented at the topical meeting Light and Colorin the Open Air, held in Washington, D.C., on 11-13July, 1990.4 In this technological age, the analysis ofnaked eye optical phenomena is a largely neglectedfield of research. But it is also a rich and challengingfield, as evidenced by the enthusiasm of the 48 atten-dees from 6 countries at the topical meeting and fromthe high quality and wide variety of the 30 talks pre-sented there. It was the point of view of the attendeesand presenters alike that not only does the analysis ofnaked eye optical phenomena represent good physicsbut also observing and enjoying the beauty of the natu-ral world enriches our lives.It is quite fitting that this collection of papers appearin Applied Optics, because these papers represent theapplication of optics in the large sense-to a widerange of fields of human endeavor including physics,meteorology, biology, psychology, and art. It has beensaid that the true expression of science is not to befound in the performing of experiments or in the carry-ing out of calculations. Rather, it is to be found in theunderstanding of nature that one derives from thoseexperiments and calculations. The authors sincerelyhope that they have communicated this understandingto the readership of Applied Optics.References1. M. Minnaert, Light and Color in the Open Air (Dover, New York,1954).2. M. Minnaert, "Unusual or neglected optical phenomena in thelandscape," J. Opt. Soc. Am. 58, 297-303 (1968).3. W. C. Livingston, "Marcel Minnaert and optics in nature," Appl.Opt. 19, 648-649 (1980).4. Three similar collections of papers associated with topical meet-ings on atmospheric optics have been published. These are J.Opt. Soc. Am. 69,1051-1198 (1979); 73,1622-1664 (1983); J. Opt.Soc. Am. A 4, 558-620 (1987).James A. Lock is with the Department of Physics, Cleveland StateUniversity, Cleveland OH 44115Received 29 May 1991.0003/6935/91/243381-01$05.00/0© 1991 Optical Society of America.20 August 1991 / Vol. 30, No. 24 / APPLIED OPTICS 3381

Light and Color in the Open Air: Introduction by the Feature Editor

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Light and Color in the Open Air: Introduction by the Feature Editor

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