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Light Scattering by Michael Adam Contegni

Honorable - Natural Category

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School: Smithtown High School East

Teacher: Dr. Gillian Winters

This picture was taken during Easter Sunday Mass in Saint Mark?s Basilica in Venice, Italy. The photograph shows the phenomenon of the scattering of light. Normally, the beam of sunlight coming through the windows at the top of the church would not be distinctly visible. Towards the end of the service, though, the priests burned incense. Within minutes, a beautiful beam of sunlight began to reveal itself in a majestic way. The smoke of the incense diffused into the air toward the top of the church. As the light of the sun passed through the window, the particles in the air deflected the light, causing it to scatter in all directions, making the rays visible.

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