Timeline for Why can we see light when it isn't being reflected back to us at the same angle?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
4 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Jul 7, 2020 at 4:29 | comment | added | probably_someone | @Jay It would be impossible to see the laser spot on the mirror, yes. But if the laser is passing through a gas, like air, some laser light will scatter off of the gas molecules in its path (Rayleigh scattering), which means you'll see the "beam" (this is fairly obvious with the ultra-bright green laser pointers, but is usually very faint with the more common red laser pointers). | |
| Jul 7, 2020 at 4:18 | comment | added | Jay | The diagram really helped me understand. In theory, a perfectly specular mirror would make it impossible to see the laser, correct? | |
| Jul 7, 2020 at 4:16 | vote | accept | Jay | ||
| Jul 7, 2020 at 3:08 | history | answered | probably_someone | CC BY-SA 4.0 |