the.com/lens
a curved sliver of glass that bends light into everything you've ever seen clearly
means A curved piece of glass or other transparent material that bends light to focus it, used in eyes, cameras, glasses, telescopes, and microscopes.
from From Latin 'lens,' meaning 'lentil' — the little legume. Early double-convex glasses had that same plump, rounded shape, bulging in the middle and tapering at the edges, so opticians simply named them after the bean they resembled. Every time you say 'lens,' you're quietly comparing it to soup.
- named after
- the lentil, which it resembles in shape
- in your eye
- flips every image upside-down before your brain corrects it
- oldest known
- polished rock crystal from 750 BC Assyria
- liquid version
- squid and fish eyes use graded-density gradient lenses
- focal trick
- thicker glass bends light harder and shortens focus
hubble space telescope — nasa's primary imaging instrument launched 1990, revolutionized astronomy with its 2.4m mirror
james webb space telescope — nasa's infrared telescope launched 2021, observes the most distant galaxies
eye of sauron camera — red one digital cinema camera used in lord of the rings films
zeiss otus 55mm — german precision lens renowned for film and photo work since 2013