- #1
Nacho
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Can a substance refract light to such a degree that the angle the light is bent to be an acute angle?
The reason I ask: Take for instance Moon shine (not the kind that you drink). The answer you most often get is that it is sunshine reflected off the Moon, to your eye. That can't be the correct answer .. reflected light retains the image of the "source" (meaning emission/refraction) of the light. If it was truly reflected light we would see an image of the Sun. Rather, it is light from the Sun refracted from the Moon.
But, in this instance, how does the light get refracted to such a degree? Take the full moon .. that angle I talked about above would have to be virtually 0 degrees. Books I've read about refraction alway show (as examples, now) that angle being an obtuse angle.
Maybe the light undergoes multiple/many separate refractions on the surface of the Moon before it gets back to your eye? Or maybe images can also be formed from scattered light in addition to refracted light?
[edit .. I guess I said this wrong. It is diffraction that causes the images, not refraction. Still wondering though about the process by which the light can get sent back to an observer at such a small angle, without reflection]
The reason I ask: Take for instance Moon shine (not the kind that you drink). The answer you most often get is that it is sunshine reflected off the Moon, to your eye. That can't be the correct answer .. reflected light retains the image of the "source" (meaning emission/refraction) of the light. If it was truly reflected light we would see an image of the Sun. Rather, it is light from the Sun refracted from the Moon.
But, in this instance, how does the light get refracted to such a degree? Take the full moon .. that angle I talked about above would have to be virtually 0 degrees. Books I've read about refraction alway show (as examples, now) that angle being an obtuse angle.
Maybe the light undergoes multiple/many separate refractions on the surface of the Moon before it gets back to your eye? Or maybe images can also be formed from scattered light in addition to refracted light?
[edit .. I guess I said this wrong. It is diffraction that causes the images, not refraction. Still wondering though about the process by which the light can get sent back to an observer at such a small angle, without reflection]
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