3 ms·

interesting that we are given a glib explanation for this phenomenon at school that doesn't quite make sense, and this finesses it nicely. In similar vein, the

interesting that we are given a glib explanation for this phenomenon at school that doesn't quite make sense, and this finesses it nicely. In similar vein, the simple explanation of why images are inverted in mirrors falls foul of a little probing - e.g why in that case do we not appear upside-down?; there are some good deeper dives into this one on YouTube.

Doxin 3y ago
re: mirrors: It's because they don't mirror left-to-right. They mirror front-to-back. Some experimenting with a dry erase marker and a piece of glass will demonstrate this. Write some words on the glass and hold it somewhere in front of the mirror. You'll be able to read the text on the glass and in the mirror simultaneously. The mirror did not flip the text around at all. If instead you write the words on paper it only seems to do this, but notice that between looking at the paper yourself and looking at in the mirror you're doing the flipping of the paper.
alkonaut 3y ago
What was the explanation if this wasn't it? The sort of "layman's-explanation" I was given was basically that insects fly in such a way that the light stays fixed in their view - so basically in the same facet(s) of an insect eye during flight, and that this causes them to circle around the lights. This seems to just scientifically confirm the hypothesis we were always told.
- yencabulator 3y ago
  The article specifically discredits that earlier notion, and suggests a slightly different one. No: "moon at fixed angle" Yes: "sky is lighter, point topside at illumination to fly level"
  - alkonaut 3y ago
    That makes sense. But at night that makes it point topside at moon? Which is basically "constantly tilted" of the moon is low? (I read the article, but admittedly quickly, should probably read again)
    - yencabulator 3y ago
      What I understood was, it's not really about the moon at all, just that "the sky" is lighter than "the ground", and roughly orienting based on that works as a heuristic. Light & dark hemispheres, not the brightest spot.

Doxin 3y ago

re: mirrors: It's because they don't mirror left-to-right. They mirror front-to-back. Some experimenting with a dry erase marker and a piece of glass will demonstrate this. Write some words on the glass and hold it somewhere in front of the mirror. You'll be able to read the text on the glass and in the mirror simultaneously. The mirror did not flip the text around at all. If instead you write the words on paper it only seems to do this, but notice that between looking at the paper yourself and looking at in the mirror you're doing the flipping of the paper.

alkonaut 3y ago

What was the explanation if this wasn't it? The sort of "layman's-explanation" I was given was basically that insects fly in such a way that the light stays fixed in their view - so basically in the same facet(s) of an insect eye during flight, and that this causes them to circle around the lights. This seems to just scientifically confirm the hypothesis we were always told.

yencabulator 3y ago
The article specifically discredits that earlier notion, and suggests a slightly different one. No: "moon at fixed angle" Yes: "sky is lighter, point topside at illumination to fly level"
- alkonaut 3y ago
  That makes sense. But at night that makes it point topside at moon? Which is basically "constantly tilted" of the moon is low? (I read the article, but admittedly quickly, should probably read again)
  - yencabulator 3y ago
    What I understood was, it's not really about the moon at all, just that "the sky" is lighter than "the ground", and roughly orienting based on that works as a heuristic. Light & dark hemispheres, not the brightest spot.