A picture of he colors of the rainbow produced by light passing through a thin layer of oil on water.

Oil Film Rainbow

As light passes through thin layers of oil on the surface of water the various colors separate and we see a rainbow or the colors of the rainbow.

A picture of he colors of the rainbow produced by light passing through a thin layer of oil on water.

The colors of the rainbow produced by light passing through a thin layer of oil on water.

The colors are caused by interference between light reflected from the top and bottom of the oil film.

I just thought it looked cool when I took this picture, but for those who want more explanation here are some links:

Why do rainbow-like colors appear on the surface of oil?

Why does petrol and oil make a rainbow effect on water ?

Last updated: January 24, 2014

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