The Light of the Moon and the Forms of Solar Rays

This will have before it the treatise on shadow and light.

Visual rays from the eye to the moon illuminated by the sun, with:

sun moon

The edges of the moon will be more illuminated and will show themselves more luminous, because in them there appear only the summits of the waves of its waters, and the shadowy depths of the valleys of such waves do not alter the luminous images (species) of that bright part which come to the eye from the summits of those waves.

Schematic distribution of the luminous rays emitted by the sun, with:

a c - h - f b e d g

If every part of the sun spreads its rays upon all the surrounding objects, which is that part that sends the image to the water? That is, is it a columnar ray, or a straight pyramidal one, or a reversed pyramidal one? That is, the columnar is a c b d, the broken pyramidal is a c f g, the straight pyramidal is a c e, the converse pyramidal is f g h. Now tell me which one carries to the water the image of the sun.

Raggi visivi dall'occhio alla luna illuminata dal sole, con:

Distribuzione schematica dei raggi luminosi emessi dal sole, con:

Visual rays from the eye to the moon illuminated by the sun, with:

Schematic distribution of the luminous rays emitted by the sun, with:

The Light of the Moon and the Forms of Solar Rays

On this page

Why the moon's rim shines brightest: only the crests of its waves are seen

Which form of solar ray carries the sun's image to the water