h a l f b a k e r y"Put it on a plate, son. You'll enjoy it more."
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At lunchtime today I experienced that strange feeling you get when the shadow of an airliner passes directly over you.
It got me thinking about the possibility of deliberately casting shadows on the ground, in public places, to enact plays and such.
Popular squares and parks, where shade is provided
for the purpose of lounging while enjoying oneself are the most obvious venues for this artform. People would be able to bask in the shadows of people, lions, rabbits, palm trees, whatever you fancy. Likewise, projection could also be onto the sides of large, tall buildings, providing visible entertainment for city workers on slow afternoons.
Radio-controlled dirigibles, with flexible perimeters, choreographed and manouevred by computer, would allow stunning "shadeshows" to be projected onto viewing surfaces. Complementary commentary or soundtrack available, via radio narrowcasting.
Shadow Art
http://www.chasetil...om/shadow%20art.htm
[skinflaps, Mar 02 2005]
How'bout from space?
http://www.qrz.ru/s...w/images/Shadow.jpg
[2 fries shy of a happy meal, Mar 02 2005]
Here you go, Bris - the Brocken Spectre
http://www.sundog.c...oplets/globrock.htm
It works with big aircraft too! [AbsintheWithoutLeave, Mar 03 2005]
Why shadows are fuzzy and another reason why the ground around a shadow might appear brighter
http://www.pa.uky.e...iworks/xtra/shy.htm
(see the section at the bottom of the page) [ldischler, Mar 04 2005]
[link]
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Because the sun isn’t a point source, any shadow small enough to be recognizable by someone on the ground would appear to be just a fuzzy dark spot. |
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//Because the sun isn’t a point source// Well, obviously, we're just going to have to find a new orbit, aren't we? No gain without pain.
Bun for reminding me of the odd feeling during a partial solar eclipse - the sun was high, the shadows short, but the light wasn't quite right. |
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With respect, [ldischler], a 737 casts a recognisable shadow of a 737 on the ground. I'm not talking about small shadow puppets. I'm talking about big mothers, and just keeping them below FAA maximum height limits. |
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Yeah, the sun is a parallel source. Is any light a point source? (assuming isotropic). |
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When flying in small aircraft, I have often noticed that the shadow of the craft I am flying in appears to be surrounded by a bright corona. No one has ever satisfactorily explained to me why this appears so. |
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The corona is sunlight reflected from water droplets. The highest reflection is back to the source (as in the glass beads used in retroreflectors) so the brightest reflected light will be around the shadow of the aircraft (or even your head, in certain mountain situations). It’s even possible that this effect suggested the Christian halo. |
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I've seen that effect from 747s - a beautiful circular rainbow around the shadow of the aeroplane on the cloud layer below. The explnation [ldischler] gives is correct - the water droplets in clouds act as retroreflectors. The rainbow colours come from the different amounts different wavelengths of light get refracted when they enter and leave the droplet. |
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Thank you both, Mr. Dischler and Mr. Hippo. 'Tis appreciated. |
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(I assume corner cube arrays belong to the class of retroreflectors, yes?) |
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Yes. Move to a solar system with multiple suns, all in a tight cluster. |
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A project we, as group of planetary inhabitants, should be working towards. Alas, making war seems to be a prerequisite of some sort...... |
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Isn't wayang those weird indonesian puppety things, I saw one once in my indonesian class, plus I have the feeling this has been done in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, where you have to do all those weird crazy stunts to get to this spotlight which you change so that you can promote a porno film by using the spotlight onto an apartment building, so baked, in a way. |
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Someone is using computer-controlled dirigibles to generate shadow puppet shows? Wow! |
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More importantly, how do I sign up for this promotion? |
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I'll send you a licence agreement, so we can swap contracts in the next few weeks. |
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