Stunning Rainbow Spider Web!

Rainbow Spider Web

Colorful Banded Radius Thread

Sticky Spiral Threads

Close-Up of Sticky Spiral Threads

Spiral Threads with Round Sticky Droplets

Magnified Close-Up of Web’s Diffraction Pattern

Have you ever seen rainbow colors in a spider web?   We NEVER had until now.  Richard photographed a spider web from below using a zoom lens already on the camera.  Sunlight was hitting the spider web from above, and the web was silhouetted against a dark background.  Magic!  (Click images to magnify for full effect.)  Rainbow colors appeared in the silk strands of the web.   When magnified later on the computer, the effect was stunning!  The colors result from the way sunlight is scattered by the spider web strands (it acts like a prism).  Diffraction patterns result from interference of the sun’s rays with the web’s sticky silk droplets.  Truly amazing and unique!