Why do some origami tessellations reveal extra patterns when held to the light?

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Red origami crane with outstretched wings and pointed beak, displayed against a solid black background. — origami An origami crane.

Origami tessellations are a geometric folding technique where an image is created through a repeating pattern of folded edges across a sheet of paper. When these designs are held up to the light, they often reveal further structure because the varying density of the paper—caused by the overlapping layers and complex arrangements of the folds—affects how light passes through the model, highlighting the underlying geometric patterns.1