Rustam Balafendiev

Light from distant galaxies passes through telescope lenses like through a stack of window panes. Each pane is coated with a thin film to reduce glare. But this film acts as a polarizing filter: one component of the light wave passes a bit more freely, the other a bit worse. As a result, the wave rotates slightly, and the telescope sees a different picture than what is in the sky.

When light hits ordinary plastic, some of it reflects, like a glare on a window. To eliminate this glare, a special coating made of tiny structures is applied to the surface, which cancels out the reflection.