Examining the polarization of light provides a powerful tool for learning about our world. The term polarization refers to the orientation of waves of light (brush up on your knowledge of light here). A polarized filter will only allow light that is oriented in the same direction (polarized light) to pass through and this can reveal ‘hidden’ data in an image. This different view of the data in an image can bring new insights into the universe. To get started, select an image to explore.