Does light travel in a straight line trough air?

In summary: It's probably because when the light enters your eye it has to cross the lens multiple times, and each time it does that, it creates a bent or curved line.
  • #1
Jarfi
384
12
When you shoot a single photon, wouldn't the oxygen, and other atoms in the air we breathe move the light off it's trajectory. Won't the light hit any atoms or bend away from the atoms. Does light bend in air? Does it bend to avoid striking the atoms?

How do we see straight lines, how do we see the shapes, shouldn't the shapes we see with our eyes be disorted because our eyes receive wrong information about where the photons came from, because the photons were bent/scattered of their course to our direction?

I don't understand how light travels in air or how we see ''correctly''
 
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  • #2
Light doesn't travel through air in exactly straight lines. You can see the effect on images which "shimmer" when seen though rising hot air (as in a mirage). The twinkling of stars is also caused by distortions which change due to motion in the air.

However, light does travel "pretty" straight through air, so that human vision still works, more or less.
 
  • #3
The fact that the sky is blue, not pitch black, shows that some of the light passing through the atmosphere does not follow a straight path.
 
  • #4
olivermsun said:
Light doesn't travel through air in exactly straight lines. You can see the effect on images which "shimmer" when seen though rising hot air (as in a mirage). The twinkling of stars is also caused by distortions which change due to motion in the air.

However, light does travel "pretty" straight through air, so that human vision still works, more or less.

Yes but when we see light in the dark, for example a light pole or a star It seems like there are lines that form around the source of light, like a cross or you know a star? is that caused by air? does that not happen in space?
 
  • #5
Jarfi said:
Yes but when we see light in the dark, for example a light pole or a star It seems like there are lines that form around the source of light, like a cross or you know a star? is that caused by air? does that not happen in space?
That's most likely caused by a lens -- in a camera taking a photo, in spectacles (if you wear them) or even the lens of your eye.
 
  • #6

1. Does light always travel in a straight line through air?

Yes, light typically travels in a straight line through air. This is because air is a relatively uniform medium and does not cause significant refraction or bending of light.

2. What is the speed of light when traveling in a straight line through air?

The speed of light is approximately 299,792,458 meters per second when traveling in a straight line through air. However, this speed may vary slightly depending on factors such as air density and temperature.

3. Can light be bent or redirected when traveling through air?

Yes, light can be bent or redirected when traveling through air. This phenomenon is known as refraction and is caused by a change in the speed of light as it passes through a different medium, such as air to water or air to glass.

4. Are there any exceptions to light traveling in a straight line through air?

Yes, there are some exceptions to light traveling in a straight line through air. For example, light can be scattered or reflected when it encounters certain objects or surfaces, causing it to deviate from its original path.

5. How does the atmosphere affect the straight-line path of light?

The atmosphere can have a slight effect on the straight-line path of light due to its varying density and composition. This can cause slight deviations or distortions in the path of light, especially when passing through layers of different air temperatures and pressures.

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