This evening, when I watched a TV program that took place in a 100% dark room, the shadows of objects and people were very nicely visible through night vision goggles.
Is this possible, or was it not as dark there as we are led to believe?
Asker: manual, 16 years
Answer
It wasn’t as dark as you thought. A shadow is by definition a surface where there is less light than around it, so you need light for it. But human eyes aren’t the best observers for light, so it may well be that there is light somewhere, but not enough for your eyes. Night vision goggles are more sensitive than your eyes, and they do see that light.
Answered by
Pieter Van Dooren
science journalist with broad knowledge
Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine
Nationalestraat 155 2000 Antwerp
http://www.itg.be/
Nationalestraat 155 2000 Antwerp
http://www.itg.be/
.