what happens if you put night vision goggles on in the dark and look at a mirror?
2007-06-05 06:44:57 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
You would see the infrared portion of the light spectrum being reflected in the mirror from the surroundings. Remember, there are more elctromagnetic waves present around us than just visible light. When you look through night vision goggles you see the infrared portion of the elctromagnetic spectrum. Mirrors reflect electromagnetic waves including infrared. Therefore, you would see an infrared image of your surroundings reflected in the mirror.
2007-06-05 06:48:25 · answer #1 · answered by ? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Note that there is a difference between light and electromagnetic waves. Mirrors reflect the electromagnetic spectrum until a certain frequency (not just light), and the range they reflect includes both visible light and infrared waves (which is actually radiant heat). Therefore, you would see the reflection of your body just as you would if you looked at yourself in a dark room with night vision goggles (which you can't really do very well).
2007-06-05 14:25:42 · answer #2 · answered by kittsil 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Night vision goggles won't show you anything in total darkness. They work by either image intensification (detecting what little light there is and amplifying it) or infrared, using an infrared light and an infrared viewer. In either case, the image you are seeing is formed by light, and it will be reflected as usual.
2007-06-05 14:11:47 · answer #3 · answered by injanier 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They don't need light to work, they just show the darkness, which is what you will see.
2007-06-05 13:49:37 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
maybe you'll see the boogieman
2007-06-05 13:56:29 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋