Solar Flares and Space Station -Reply

[FRAMEP@ORAU.GOV]

Wes wrote;

>One astronaut described light flashes "seen" while asleep, or in
>complete darknesss with eyes closed. This is a known phenomenon.
>However, I found very interesting his additional obaservation: that the
>flashes were now trails, and that by re-orienting his head, he made the
>light trails change their apparent orientation that he "saw".

The only explanation for the trails that I am aware of is that they are
produced by particles that pass through the plane of the retina. This
causes a direct stimulation of individual rods and cones along the track.
The flashes on the other hand involve cerenkov phenomena in the fluids
of the eye or the lens, not ionization within the retina.

I believe an article in Science 201 pp. 341-343 (1978) by McNulty et al
addresses this very issue.

Paul Frame
Professional Training Programs
ORISE
framep@orau.gov