Light & Optics

All About Light

From Fermilab — classical, relativistic and quantum descriptions of light.

Optics

Lecture notes for a Physics course on Optics, Texas A&M University

Visual Optics

From the Department of Applied Physics at The Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm

OpticsNotes

Resources, references, and tutorial information about Optics and Photonics

Edmund Industrial Optics

Large, comprehensive inventory of Optical Components

Präzisions Glas & Optik

German source for Optical Glass products and Optical Coatings

Lighting

Lighting Resource

“An online reference library for the lighting industry…including indoor, outdoor, commercial, residential and industrial lighting fixtures”

Lighting Research Center

“Advancing the effective use of Light for Society and the Environment”, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Lumiram

incandescent and halogen full spectrum light bulbs (I’ve used these for years, they make regular incandescents look sickly yellow by comparison)

Solatube

“capture sunlight on your rooftop, redirect it down a highly reflective shaft, then diffuse it throughout your interior space”

Tubular Skylights

“transfer natural sunlight by using a clear dome over a reflective shaft which ends at your ceiling with a sealed diffuser”

Off-Grid Lighting Technologies

Comparison of lighting technologies available for use off the grid

Light up the World foundation

“…to provide renewable energy technologies and high efficiency lighting to communities around the world that do not have access to appropriate and affordable energy solutions.”

Vision

Eye Resources on the Internet

Large list of links to eye-related resources, compiled on behalf of the Association of Vision Science Librarians

The Effects of Visible Light & UVR Upon the Visual System

Overview of the potentially negative effects of visible and ultraviolet light on one’s visual health, from the Review of Optometry online.

Protection Against Exposure to Ultraviolet Radiation

How to protect yourself from the potentially harmful effects of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, from the World Health Organization

Sunglasses

“Results from a dozen studies over the last 10 years suggest that long hours in the sun without proper eye protection increase your chances of developing eye disease”

Misc

LiTraCon

Light transmitting concrete!

The LED FAQ Pages

(these seem to be offline…anyone know where they went?)
Lots of info on how to use Light Emitting Diodes, including many related links.

Light Pollution

Satellite monitoring of the artificial night sky brightness and the stellar visibility, from the Light Pollution Science and Technology Institute.