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

Well if you see them they are illuminating your location.
But if far away the light is so little it gets lost in the lighting reflected from closer or brighter objects, nearby lights, the moon, etc.

In fact look at a cloudy sky over a city at night, you can see the clouds quite well due to city lights.

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