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

I have a question to add. I was watching a debunking of a flat earther that said the moon was only 50 miles away because he could hit it with his laser pointer. The debunker said the light would not reach the moon because it would be too spread out by the time it got there. But then Ingot to wondering about how we see stars. Wouldn’t their light be very spread out over the extreme distances? Why are we able to see them as points of light. At best, shouldn’t they be really fuzzy blurs?

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