The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci

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Page 249 of 1565.
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TO PROVE HOW IT IS THAT LUMINOUS BODIES APPEAR LARGER, AT A
DISTANCE, THAN THEY ARE.

If you place two lighted candles side by side half a braccio apart,
and go from them to a distance 200 braccia you will see that by the
increased size of each they will appear as a single luminous body
with the light of the two flames, one braccio wide.

TO PROVE HOW YOU MAY SEE THE REAL SIZE OF LUMINOUS BODIES.

If you wish to see the real size of these luminous bodies, take a
very thin board and make in it a hole no bigger than the tag of a
lace and place it as close to your eye as possible, so that when you
look through this hole, at the said light, you can see a large space
of air round it. Then by rapidly moving this board backwards and
forwards before your eye you will see the light increase [and
diminish].

Propositions on perspective of disappearance from MS. C. (250-262).

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