That's a good question, Skip! I don't have a good answer yet. However,
I believe, my article "Specular Reflection from a Rough Surface" in
April 2003 issue of TPT somewhat relates to your question.
Hasan Fakhruddin
Instructor of Physics
The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities
BSU
Muncie, IN 47306
E-mail: hfakhrud@bsu.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: Kilmer, Skip [mailto:kilmers@GREENHILL.ORG]
Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2003 9:11 AM
To: PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu
Subject: moonlight
When one sees moonlight reflected from the surface of a lake, if the =
water is at all disturbed, the disk is stretched into a line. I've al=
ways thought of this as diffuse reflection from the rippled surface, =
and as I think about it, I can't satisfy myself why the light should =
be concentrated "beneath" the moon. Why don't the randomly directed s=
urface ripples make it just as likely that light hitting off to the s=
ide would reflect into our eyes?
skip