2008 HS Photo Contest Pictures
2008 AAPT High School Physics Photo Contest Click on image to resize 
Honorable Mention
- Natural
In this picture, we can clearly see the moon but in the background we can also see the last few rays given off during a sunset. The reason that we can see both in the same picture is because of the convex mirrors provided on the sides of all vehicles. No matter where an object is placed, be it the sunset or a car passing you, the image is always smaller, upright, and virtual. The red-orange appearance of the sky in the mirror should also be noted. Sunlight is scattered by dust particles in the atmosphere. The sky appears red in the mirror because the short wavelengths of blue light are scattered most effectively by the dust particles. This explains the phenomenon of a red-orange sunset.
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