2

I found rainbows on my computer screen. I can glimpse some faint color if I look at the screen from the side at a sharp angle. It is a lot more obvious when I reflect it off a dark surface (shown here, on a black electric water heater).

What is it?

enter image description here

MaudPieTheRocktorate
  • 415

1 Answers1

1

Your colored rings are part of a bullseyes pattern that can be seen in some smartphones and tablets with a birefringent layer in the screen, if the screen is viewed through a linear polarizing filter (A). The same effect appears if the reflection in a dark surface is seen, because the shiny surface behaves like a linear polarizing filter (B). See link

photo of bullseyes pattern

jkien
  • 2,669