How come we can see a source of light extremely far away when the source only illuminates the area much closer to it?

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For example, I’m sitting on my front porch which overlooks the town. Miles away I can see streetlights, signs, etc. How does the source project light to my location, yet doesn’t illuminate my location?

Holy moly friends, thanks for the awards and stuff. I didn’t think this question would spark so much interest, lol. I am thoroughly grateful for all your replies.

In: Physics

22 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Consider the most extreme example of a distance source of light that we see, but that doesn’t illuminate our surroundings: stars in the night.

If you put a mirror on the floor at night, the mirror *will* reflect the starry night. This proves that the “culprit” is the materials around you. The light from stars is so dim and weak that the portion of it that gets reflected by ordinary materials is too negligible for even our eyes to notice it.

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