Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Thank you for giving notice to my post. I am very curious about these small light reflections that I can see in most glossy or shiny objects. I often see this when looking at water drops or the eye of my dog. It's a tiny round round circle of light, and when i focus my eyes to it I see a view similar to what I see in microscopes that seems to be cells. I wonder if it's related to the creation microscope? I'm just curious, thanks for paying attention!

Hi Garchu,

The two phenomena are similar in that both use a lens or curved mirror to focus light. In a microscope, the lens is a glass piece, like glasses, that magnify a small image.

In the water-drop case, the wet curved surface acts as a sort of mirror. It focuses light coming from a large area into a small point: so you view that spot has being very bright.

The Ask the Expert forums are for students in grades K-12 (and their parents and teachers) who are doing hands-on science projects. I would suggest you think about a scientific experiment to explore this concept if you are further interested.

Best,
Charles