>> >> I would guess that since half a moon gives you half the light...
...
>> >Wouldn't half moon give 1/4 of the light?
>>
>> Am I missing something? Since the light is uniform across the moon's
>> surface, methinks the relationship is linear...
>
>Doesn't light "decay" at a square ratio? Hey, I could be wrong here.....
Light value is proportional to the square of diameter of the light source.
The half moon is half a circle with the same diameter as a full moon, thus
half the light. If a half moon was a circle one-half the diameter of the
full moon, then it would yield 1/4 the light.
Like other electromagnetic radiation, light obeys the "square law," as it
falls off with the square of distance, which might be what you're thinking
of. But the half moon is still about the same distance from us as the full
moon... :-)
: Jan Steinman <mailto:jans@xxxxxxxxxxx>
: 19280 Rydman Court, West Linn, OR 97068-1331 USA
: +1.503.635.3229
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