Have you heard of a mineral called Ulexite? The block...

Have you heard of a mineral called Ulexite?
The block itself has quite an interesting structure and looks translucent when polished but if you lay it down on a surface you suddenly can see a clear picture from what is underneath!

White translucent piece of mineral with a polished face

Same piece viewed from above being held from a distance above a piece of printed paper

Piece laid down flat on printed paper showing a clear image of what is underneath

Like 4 November at 21:09 | Open on chaos.social

37 comments

F4GRX SÃ©bastien

@fesix oh wow thats amazing!

4 November at 21:13 | Open on chaos.social

Sarina

@f4grx @fesix
What @f4grx says.

5 November at 7:33 | Open on ruhr.social

pfriedma

@fesix
Not only that but the image will appear to the observer as being on the viewing surface, rather than under it (like with a chunk of glass)

4 November at 21:17 | Open on pfedi.pfriedma.org

Richard "RichiH" Hartmann

@fesix Sadly, the ones on eBay are not nearly as good

4 November at 21:42 | Open on chaos.social

Felix

@RichiH I got this one from ebay!
https://www.ebay.de/itm/387473620276

4 November at 21:43 | Open on chaos.social

Richard "RichiH" Hartmann

@fesix nice, I'll have a look, thanks!

4 November at 21:57 | Open on chaos.social

Richard "RichiH" Hartmann

@fesix ordered one, plus calcite. Thanks again!

5 November at 4:16 | Open on chaos.social

R. L. Dane :debian: :openbsd:

@fesix

I remember seeing those for sale at a science museum gift shop in San Antonio in the 80s.

I've been wondering what it was!!

4 November at 22:13 | Open on fosstodon.org

4censord :neocat_flag_pan:

@fesix actually i had heard of that
isnt the structure simial to optical fibers and was involved/inspiration for the developtment?

4 November at 22:14 | Open on unfug.social

Felix

@4censord I don't know about the origin of development of optical fibers but yes it works like having countless of fibers perfectly in line together, that is why it only works if you cut and polish the mineral in that one specific plane.

5 November at 9:17 | Open on chaos.social

kuulman

@fesix
Whyvit isn't transparent in the first place? What's the coating?

4 November at 22:18 | Open on social.tchncs.de

Felix

@kuulman There is no coating, it is like a huge amount of optical fibers together, not like a piece of glass where you can look through from all directions, the block is cut in the plane perpendicular to these fibers and the polished

5 November at 9:19 | Open on chaos.social

Deadly Headshot

@fesix Is that the one that's basically natural fibre-optics?

4 November at 22:18 | Open on mastodon.social

peachfront

@dheadshot @fesix

yes

4 November at 22:37 | Open on toot.community

Mark Wyner :vm:

@fesix fascinating.

4 November at 22:22 | Open on mas.to

IAintShootinMis

@fesix Also called TV Rock! This is super cool!

4 November at 22:35 | Open on digitaldarkage.cc

peachfront

@fesix

i have a few specimens, some better than others

i need to photograph them sometime

4 November at 22:36 | Open on toot.community

fh0

@fesix didn't know before that I need it

4 November at 22:58 | Open on mastodon.social

blausand 🐟

@fesix Next day, next mineral mention, same rabbit hole.
You're never gonna let me down, right?
🤣

https://chaos.social/@blausand/113411380745508356

4 November at 23:13 | Open on chaos.social

Psy Chuan :therian:

@fesix woah! very neat

4 November at 23:17 | Open on plush.city

Nazo

@fesix I'm guessing it works somewhat similarly to optical fibers where light is mostly carried straight within its material?

4 November at 23:17 | Open on urusai.social

Lorraine

@fesix 😮

4 November at 23:40 | Open on mastodon.social

Vayl Larkin (they/them)

@fesix I have a very old and yellowed piece that was passed to me by my uncle when I was very young. That, a piece of pyrite, and a 1cm Herkimer diamond are my longest-held rocks. :)