Q. Why do windows seem to blaze at sun-rise and sun-set?
A. Because glass is a good reflector of light; and the rays of the sun (striking against the window glass) are reflected, or thrown back.
Q. Why do not windows reflect the noon-day rays also?
A. They do, but the reflection is not seen.
Q. Why is the reflection of the rising and setting sun seen in the window, and not that of the noon-day sun?
A. As the angle of incidence always equals the angle of reflection, therefore the rays of the noon-day sun enter the glass too perpendicularly for their reflection to be seen.
Here AB represents a ray of the noon-day sun striking the window at B; its reflection will be at C:
But DB (a ray of the rising or setting sun) will be reflected to E (the eye of the spectator).
Q. Why can we not see the reflection of the sun in a well, during the day-time?
A. Because the rays of the sun fall so obliquely, that they never reach the surface of the water at all, but strike against the brick sides.