Let’s imagine that we light a candle and move it closer to the wall. The reflection of the thin and long candle is present on the wall, but where is the shadow of the fire? There seems to be something odd about this.
So, what are the conditions required for an object or substance to cast a shadow, and what differences does fire have at this point?
To answer this question, let’s first look at what a shadow is in the light of science.
A shadow is a dark area or shape that occurs when light rays reach a surface and are blocked by an object. A shadow can only occur when an opaque element is placed between the light source and the object on which the shadow will be cast.
Some light sources and substances are not capable of creating shadows. These substances can, in some cases, block light rays and create momentary shadows on the surface.
So does this mean that fire can have a shadow?
Actually, the answer is both yes and no. Fire has no shadows because light creates shadows when it does not pass through an object. For this reason, it can be clearly seen that no shadow is formed when a strong light source passes over a bright flame.
In short, no two beams of light can interact directly. Fire is a source of light and light sources have no shadow.
On the other hand, there may be a shadow of the fire, but this is not what is thought.
Although flames cannot cast a shadow on their own, a shadow can be cast when any part of the reflected light ray is refracted or interrupted. The shadow area is often the area where the beam receives the least amount of light.
The dimer area of the beam, which receives a relatively small amount of light, takes the shape of the opaque object that deflects or restricts it. Only if this beam of light is blocked or redirected by the flames can a shadow be cast.
It is also possible for fire flames to block or deflect light.
With fire, a large number of various hydrocarbon compounds and fuel or oxygen molecules burned by the flame are released. When the fire starts, into the atmosphere; carbon dioxide, water vapor, soot and other pollutants are released.
Therefore, for the simple reason that the flame contains hot air, the light in the light beam can be deflected and create its own shadow.
So how does the shadow of a blazing fire form?
Hot air and cold air surrounding the flame boundary can cause the light to bend away due to the forward pushing effect. Just like in a camera lens, fractures occur at aberration interfaces between two different materials.
Because the flame contains hot air and some contaminants, it deflects the light within the light beam and creates its own shadow. Therefore; The shadows cast by the blazing fire and other elements appear like dancing waves.
In addition, in order to see the shadow of a fire, the light beam passing through the flames must be brighter than the brightness of the fire.
If the flame or the light passing through the fire is dim compared to the flame light, the light area produced by the fire fills the dim area and thus no shadow is formed.
For example, when you turn on a dim flashlight on a campfire in the dark of night, the flames do not cast a shadow. But a brighter and stronger light, along with the heat from fire and smoke, creates a noticeable shadow.
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