Peak Luminance

Marilyn Jones

May 12 - June 9 2024

Peak Luminance                                                                                   

Gradually my eyes adjust and pupils dilate.  A pathway to the waterfall is revealed.  Boulders loom in a ghostly fashion. Tenuous visuals, a distortion of blue and violet shapes. A slick lick of moonlight glistens on the surface of the water.

“The Purkinje effect is the tendency for the peak luminance sensitivity of the human eye to shift toward the blue end of the spectrum at low illumination levels.”[1]

“The spectrum of moonlight is actually identical to that of the Sun, so the same colors are present. The issue lies in light intensity. The Moon is nearly a million times dimmer than the Sun. Due to our eyes being able to adapt to low light environments, however, we can still see quite well in the light of a full moon. What happens is that as this adaptation occurs, the cells on our retinae shift their reactions such that blue wavelengths are preferred over longer wavelengths at the red end of the spectrum. This is known as the Purkinje Effect”.[2]

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purkinje_effect
[2] https://www.quora.com/Why-is-colour-not-seen-distinctly-under-the-moonlight