Describing an object or substance that does not emit its own light; that is, it does not produce light through processes like incandescence, fluorescence, or bioluminescence. non-luminous objects are only visible when light from another source, such as the sun or a light bulb, is reflected or scattered off their surfaces. The perception of a non-luminous object relies entirely on this external illumination. Essentially, non-luminous things are 'dark' until lit.
Non-luminous meaning with examples
- The dusty, non-luminous walls of the ancient cave seemed to swallow the faint glow of the miner's headlamp. He had to press the beam right up against the surface of the rock to make out any detail. Only when the light hit the wall did the faint carvings and faded paintings come into sight.
- During the daytime, the moon appears bright, but the light it emits is not its own; it's a non-luminous celestial body that reflects the sun's light. At night, it appears to change. This reflected light illuminates the night sky, making the darkest of nights, not quite as dark.
- The artist painstakingly rendered a still life using a variety of non-luminous pigments. He relied on subtle gradations of color and form to capture the objects' textures and the play of light and shadow across their surfaces. He used an overhead light that made the paintings visible.
- The deep sea is a realm of perpetual darkness, populated by creatures that are either self-luminous or adapted to the conditions, with many of them depending on the non-luminous matter that falls to the seabed to survive.
- To demonstrate the concept, the science teacher held up a piece of black construction paper, explaining that because it was non-luminous, it wouldn't emit any light of its own. She then showed how light shining from a lamp was then needed to light the black paper.