Questions tagged [shadow]
78 questions
189
votes
8 answers
Why do shadows from the sun join each other when near enough?
I was laying on my bed, reading a book when the sun shone through the windows on my left. I happened to look at the wall on my right and noticed this very strange effect. The shadow of my elbow, when near the pages of the book, joined up with the…
turnip
- 3,768
77
votes
4 answers
What is this shadow being cast upon?
The picture below is from on top of Mt. Shasta at sunrise. The sun was directly behind me when I took the picture and it appears to be casting a shadow on.... the sky itself?
Can anyone explain what the shadow is being cast on? There don't…
Abe Miessler
- 865
41
votes
1 answer
Why are there shadows surrounding these underwater lights?
I took this picture of a water feature on campus at Caltech:
The lamps at the bottom of this pool have large, circular shadows surrounding them, but there are also bright rings of light surrounding those shadows. Since there are no obstructions in…
Geoffrey
- 5,556
41
votes
2 answers
Why does light act differently in miniatures?
When painting miniatures (like RPG fantasy miniature soldiers)... why is it necessary to paint lights and shadows?
Being a 3D object, shouldn't the natural light be enough to create lights and shadows if the figure is simply painted with plain…
David Torres
- 513
35
votes
9 answers
Why does water cast a shadow even though it is considered 'transparent'?
If you pour water from a container, the flowing water stream seems to cast a shadow. I am not sure you can call it a shadow, but it definitely is not letting all light through it. How is this possible and what uses can it have?
abrn2195
- 661
32
votes
3 answers
How can a virtual image form a shadow?
This is something that completely blew my mind. Last week I was playing randomly with a mirror and my pen and then I noticed that the image of the pen was also having its shadow on a nearby wall.
How is that even possible? For something to form a…
Ankit
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32
votes
6 answers
Can you run away from your shadow?
Now this might be a silly question but it's actually bugging me, this one might be easier to understand if you have kids that watch (or used to watch) Peppa Pig. In one of the episodes, about shadows, the kids try to run away from their shadows,…
hyp
- 423
31
votes
5 answers
Can the sun cast a shadow?
The sun's light can cast the shadow of another object, but does it ever cast its own shadow?
TreeKing
- 593
25
votes
3 answers
Can air make shadows?
I have read about schlieren photography, which uses the ability of non-uniform air to create shadows. Is it really possible that air makes shadows?
user195448
24
votes
2 answers
Super Fast Message
It is known that a shadow can travel faster than the speed of light and break no known laws of physics, because it is not an actual thing. A shadow is just the blockage of light. However in the following statement "Maximum speed is finite: No…
Rick Flanagan
- 243
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23
votes
4 answers
Can a shadow move faster than the speed of light?
I'm just a layman with no real science background
(a) I'm not really sure what a shadow is. Some people are saying that it's the absence of something (a photon?) and therefore it is not subject to laws of physics. But I know when I'm in a shadow and…
18
votes
2 answers
Why are the edges of the shadow so bright?
Today I noticed something while playing with my specs (having diverging lenses).
Have a look at it :
This is the shadow of my specs on the wall in sunlight. The region of the lens appears darker and the edges appear extremely brighter (brighter…
Ankit
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15
votes
3 answers
Why do two blurry shadows, when brought close to each other, appear to "bulge" and merge?
I have recently noticed that when two objects with blurry shadows cast by the same light source are brought close to each other, their shadows appear to merge in a way where one shadow appears to "bulge" and meet the other even though the two…
TheLastAirbender
- 263
13
votes
3 answers
What determines the sharpness of a shadow?
What are the factors that affect the sharpness of a shadow?
I would think that the distance between the light source and the object, the distance between the object and the shadow, and the size of the light source would all have an effect.
How do…
trung hiếu lê
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9
votes
7 answers
Why is the center of a torch beam visible even through an opaque body like my finger?
I have noticed that my finger never seems to completely block out the light of a torch beam as the center (brightest part of the torch) would be visible through the shadow of my finger. I thought it was because of the lens that is usually in front…
abrn2195
- 661