Iridescence

Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the property of certain surfaces that appear to change colour as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Examples of iridescence include soap bubbles, butterfly wings and sea shells, as well as certain minerals. It is often created by structural coloration (microstructures which interfere with light).
Mechanisms
Iridescence is an optical phenomenon of surfaces in which hue changes in proportion to the angles of observation and illumination. It is often caused by multiple reflections from two or more semi-transparent surfaces in which phase shift and interference of the reflections modulates the incidental light (by amplifying or attenuating some frequencies more than others). This process, termed thin-film interference, is the functional analogue of selective wavelength attenuation as seen with the Fabry–Pérot interferometer. This is usually seen in plants and animals, soap bubbles,...