BROKEN AND SHADED LIGHT 
37 
times seen under moonlight, but they are not 
so marked as those produced by the sun, be- 
cause of their want of definition. The moon- 
burst attracts little attention on the land; and 
on the sea, where there is reflection from a ruf- 
fled surface, the spot made by falling light is 
apparent enough, but seldom the shaft itself. 
The light is oftenest seen far out upon the 
horizon, and is merely a flicker and a sparkle 
upon the water. As for the flying shadows of 
clouds at night, they are dark purple in tone 
and are sometimes weird in shape, but unless 
the night is very bright, they are not usually 
noticed. 
Shaded light is somewhat different from 
broken or clouded light. It is not produced 
by shattered parts of direct rays that steal 
through vapors and cloud-veils, but by widely 
diffused or reflected rays. The direct beams 
are usually cut off by an opaque substance, and 
the light in the shadow is received from the re- 
flecting sky, the air, or some other illuminating 
or light-diffusing body at the sides. The earth 
as a globe is a good illustration of this. It is 
light on one side, and its opposite side would be 
absolutely black were it not for such reflecting 
bodies as the moon, the planets, and possibly 
Moon-bursts 
and moon 
shadows. 
Shaded 
light. 
