Ripple in Plansee, Austria
Ripple in still water
In fancy science talk, ripples are known as capillary waves, and they're just one of many focuses in the expansive field of fluid dynamics. They're a delicate thing: If the wavelength of a ripple gets too big, it begins seeing substantial effects from gravity, disturbing the ripple's symmetry. Even undisturbed, a ripple is never really a perfect circle—as we see in this shot of Plansee, a crystal-clear alpine lake in Austria, where short, subtle waves from a gentle wind give our ripple a slightly shuddering shape.
Ripple in still water
In fancy science talk, ripples are known as capillary waves, and they're just one of many focuses in the expansive field of fluid dynamics. They're a delicate thing: If the wavelength of a ripple gets too big, it begins seeing substantial effects from gravity, disturbing the ripple's symmetry. Even undisturbed, a ripple is never really a perfect circle—as we see in this shot of Plansee, a crystal-clear alpine lake in Austria, where short, subtle waves from a gentle wind give our ripple a slightly shuddering shape.
© wingmar / E+ / Getty Images 2026-09-11 08:45:52 :