2008 HS Photo Contest Pictures

2008 AAPT High School Physics Photo Contest
Winner's Showcase

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First Place - Natural

Title: A Scattered Sun
Student: Alexis Blanch
School: Academy of the Sacred Heart, New Orleans, LA
Teacher: Stephen Collins

When a ray is scattered, it is hitting individual particles. Rays of light travel in a straight line and can only be seen when they enter the eye. However, when they hit particles in the atmosphere they become visible. More specifically, when light reflects off smaller particles that make up such things as smoke, steam, or fog, the light is considered to be scattered. This causes a kind of hazy glow effect. In this case the sun light is hitting a patch of dewy fog. The light is reflecting off the particles in the fog and allowing the individual rays to be seen as they come in contact with the fog. This is where the idea of 'rays of sunshine' came into the picture. Every day the sun's rays hit particles within the atmosphere causing the same scattered effect in the sky. This picture also demonstrates diffuse reflection. This happens when a wave hits an uneven or moving surface and the image reflected back is incoherent and distorted. In diffuse reflection, the rays hit the surface parallel to one another but are then reflected in an erratic pattern. This is what causes the reflection of the trees in the water to appear blurry.