Twilight Convergence
Nicholas Amin Mofidi
Award: Top 100
School: british international school of washington
Teacher: kat deakin
Category: Natural
Photo #21028
Twilight Convergence
Can you guess where I took this photo? Well, this is the infamous Central Park Pond. This was my first time at the pond, and I had never seen anything like it. My mind was torn, part of me found it so beautiful to see this reflection but part of me couldn't stop thinking about the how.
The city skyline mirrors perfectly in the water, but how? This natural occurrence can only be viewed at nighttime when the city lights are the brightest. These lights provide bright point sources, and the darkened sky creates maximum contrast. Water is ideal for reflection for three reasons: First, its smooth, calm surface allows light to reflect in an organized way rather than scattering everywhere. Second, water's refractive index (1.33) differs from that of air (1.0), this creates a sharp boundary that allows light to be reflected. At grazing angles like these in my photo, the Fresnel equations- showing the reflection and transmission of light- reveal reflectivity increases considerably. Third, water absorbs minimal visible light compared to soil or concrete, so most reflected rays reach the eyes of the observer. Snell's law states how light behaves in different mediums, so as the observation angle is lower, the reflectance is maximized.
After allowing the moment of beauty to permeate my body, I had a thought, and that thought has stayed with me forever since. Physics is everywhere in the most beautiful, unexpected moments waiting, waiting for observers like you and me to ask, "Why?"
|
