Can you provide a clear answer to this question?

[theyuw]

I have been thinking about this question for a while now and not matter how many people I ask I can never get a clear explination of why this is so. So here's the question. You are walking on a beach at night and a full moon is out. While you face the ocean the moonlight casts a straight line of light over the ocean to you. If the moon is casting a light why can't you see it over the entire ocean instead of just a straight line to you? Any ideas?

edit: Suppose someone else is standing 10ft away from you. They can infact see the same beam going to them but why is it that you cannot see their beam as well?

 

[Hitsua]

Because god loves you, and obviously not the ocean or the guy on the beach right next to you.

 

[Sly]

does this actually happen?

if so, the moon isnt on the horizon, so it wouldnt be on the whole ocean, just in one spot.

 

[theyuw]

yes this happens. Check it out urself if ya dont believe me.

 

[VegetaClam]

I'm not a smart man. Are you saying you get hit by some moon beam? I don't understand the question.. could you dumb it down to my level?

-VC

 

[Knights dream]

may be because you are seeing a reflection like a mirrow, if you look into the mirrow would see your reflection spread across it?

 

[l33t bunny master]

the clam god has a sense of humor thats all no more to it.

 

[Thistle]

its because the light dosent go everywhere to you, It does just you cant SEE it....

 

[OMGLOLWTFPWN]

because the world is round, you can't see around the curve? I don't know you just can't see that far. I'm not for sure on this but it would make sense if the horizon was where the earth became curved enough you couldn't see any farther, as you can't see around it. I'm probably wrong though so it's best to ignore me.

 

[theyuw]

edit: Suppose someone else is standing 10ft away from you. They can infact see the same beam going to them but why is it that you cannot see their beam as well?

 

[Zmoney]

Dude, Wtf ask your teachers not us!

 

[Sakuhta]

It doesn't. Run to the other end of the beach, you'll notice the same thing. The moon does cast light across the entire ocean, the 'straight line' is just the reflection straight to your eyes.

 

[Breman]

If you're so desperate...

During full moon, the tide is higher than usual for the moon is now traveling across the horizontal line.
If the ocean is calm, the ray of light will head directly (around 90 degrees) through the surface and into the sea till it out of speed (The water pressure prevent it from reaching the bottom.).

~Water is just like a mirror~
During the high tide, the up and down wave prevent the light from continuously heading through the sea, thus reflecting it at the angle of 35 to 45 degrees.

~Tricked by your eyes~
If you're standing on the beach looking towards the ocean. You'll certainly see a ray of light coming straight to you. Actually, it don't do so. It reflects the light in all direction depending on the direction and shape of the wave or curve.
(Go and try to dive at night. If you're under the sea, you'll notice it. But, beware of sharks and other sea creatures..... Hahaha.. If you got eaten or what, don't blame me....)

What you see is just a continuous of flickering bright light that strike you eyes. You eyes got attracted to it.

~Human eyes is sensitive to light~
This cause your eye ball to shrink down from its normal size (eyes vision is about 160-175 degrees wide). So, whatever views(on your left or right) beside the ray of light, will become very blur. Then, this forms an idea to your brain that the light is actually heading straight to you.

This should answer both of your question....

 

[x42bn6]

Rays of light reach your own eyes and your own only from WHAT YOU CAN SEE. What someone else can see, you can possibly see, but because of refraction/light placing etc, it won't be the same.

 

[Iliaran]

Right, Breman, right...

1) Light travels in straight lines (and as far as I know, we don't have a blackhole here on earth, so don't even try to say it doesn't by introducing spatial and temporal deformations around black holes and the like).

2) You can only see things that reflect light (as in if an object reflects light, and the light hits you, you can see the object).

3) The ocean appears bright because the light that hits the ocean enters your eyes.

Here, conside this analogy (in the analogy, bouncy balls=photons):
Image the moon as a large sphere that throws nice little fuzzy bouncy balls in all directions. For the sake of this analogy, the balls don't have any mass (so they travel in straight lines and aren't affected by gravity) Now imagine the ocean you allude to as a hard surface that the bouncy balls can bounce off. Now, if you're following so far, only the bouncy balls that hit the water somewhere on the line between you and the moon will hit you. If the bouncy balls hit anywhere else, they'll bounce off in another direction, and they won't hit you. If they don't hit you, their source (the spot on the ocean they've bounced off) won't appear bright. So any of the bouncy balls that fall on the line between you and the moon will make that part of the ocean appear bright. The same happens for another observer 10 feet away. You can't see their 'beam' because the bouncy balls that enter their eyes don't enter yours as well. Remmember? The bouncy balls travel in straight lines, so the balls falling on their beam aren't going to turn in mid-air to enter your eyes as well.

Get it now?

 

[Lestert21]

That is one stupid question

 

[Breman]

Woh, this turns out to be a teaching session...

 

[R[s]T]

i can teach you how to get your penis 2 cm longer w/o surgery..