Stardust
Stardust 15X38 Pastel and pencil on paper
Although many animals use polarized light for navigation, bats are the only mammals known to use polarization patterns for long-distance flights. Polarization patterns in the sky result from the position of the sun, so they can be used like a compass. If an animal sets their position with respect to polarization patterns, they can determine what we know as the four cardinal directions.
In 2014, scientists confirmed that the greater mouse-eared bat uses polarized light for navigation.
Greater mouse-eared bat
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New experiments suggest that members of one species of these furry flyers—Myotis myotis, the greater mouse-eared bat—can do something no other mammal is known to do: They detect and use polarized light to calibrate their long-distance navigation.
It's not clear how the bats discern the polarized light, but it may be related to the type or alignment of light-detecting pigments in their retinas, the team suggests. The bats may have evolved to reset their navigation system using polarized light because that cue persists long after sunset and is available even when skies are cloudy.
- Science Magazine
Come With Me contains the colors of polarized light. As bats fly out of their roosts at dusk, seeing the shimmering light in the distance, they call to one another - Come with me! Come with me!
This work is based on the harmonic structure of Stardust by Mika and references the lyrics in the first verse.
Excerpts from Stardust - by Mika |
Image credit - Creative Commons Raleigh sky model
Image credit - Creative Commons Polarized Light Banner by Ihor Panas
Image credit - Creative Commons Polarized Light Banner by Ihor Panas