How do you describe bits of hay floating in the air? [duplicate]
Solution 1:
There is an uncommon word, dustlight, mainly appearing in literary works. It may serve as a single word for the whole phenomenon to describe the interplay between dust and light.
...there was no alternative but to count the remnant of the family savings in the feeable ray of moted dustlight that filtered down from the dingy opening.
The Possession of Immanuel Wolf: And Other Improbable Tales by Marvin Kaye
Beyond the dogs, the bottle, the old man, I saw santuario receding from view, glazed as it were by the scrim of dustlight.
Trinity Fields by Bradford Morrow
However, you can use mote to define the floating dust in sunlight:
A particle of dust, esp. one of the innumerable minute specks seen floating in a beam of light; (contextually) an irritating particle in the eye or throat. [OED]
An example from OED:
Moving freely about like the motes we see in the sunbeam.
1880, W. Wallace, Epicureanism
Scientifically, the phenomenon is light scattering.
You can check further details in the following links:
- http://megaanswers.com/how-are-we-able-to-clearly-see-dust-particles-in-a-sunbeam/
- http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Sept07/Li1/Li2.html
Solution 2:
The most widely-used technical term is 'scatter', and this is studied in Physics (Light), Astronomy, Meteorology and Hydraulics (measurement of flow). (click @ermanen's link)
Many authors say 'scintillate', for the light-effect, but always 'motes' are mentioned; so, scintillation by itself might not work.
Home By Marilynne Robinson
A few motes of straw managed to scintillate in any shaft of sunlight.