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/sci/ - Science & Math

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1511305 No.1511305 [Reply] [Original]

Hey /sci/, I have a somewhat silly question:

Is it possible for the Earth's image to be refracted off of something nearby to create the illusion of the Earth floating above us? I realize that, since it's never happened, the likelihood is pretty ridiculous, but can anyone think of a means by which the Earth's image could be naturally mirrored back to us in some cosmic event?

Thanks.

>> No.1511318

Perhaps if some sort of gas pocket went drifting past in space, or a cluster of shiny asteroids. I would think the chances are practically zero but it should be POSSIBLE

>> No.1511337

>>1511318

This is for an idea I have for a short story, and so it doesn't have to be the most likely scenario. Even the most unlikely scenario would suffice.

>> No.1511354

a curved gravitational lens and a black hole near the edge of it or something maybe?

but the distances would be far and the light returned scarse and youd be lucky if you even saw the sun's reflection

>> No.1511380

Big-ass fucking mirror floating in space, because why not?

>> No.1511381
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1511381

Refraction can't make a wave do a 180 degree turn. There's an illusion called fata morgana where a piece of the earth appears in the sky near the horizon because light beams have bent downward, but to see the entire Earth in the sky would require the light rays to do a 180, which is possible with reflection, but not refraction.

>> No.1511397

>>1511381

If you had two or three black holes aligned so that the light did several smaller refractions would that work?

>> No.1511403

I read somewhere that one of the first discovered black holes was due to finding two planets that looked exactly identical to each other in the same solar system. It turns out that the light was just being bent so that some of the reflection off the planet came from another direction. You could therefore use that logic to have the planet's light turn upon itself using black holes?