During a post-mission debrief in Houston, the crew discussed lights that may originate inside the eye.
After the Apollo 14 mission, the crew revisited flashes of light. Particles from space can strike the retina, causing the brain to perceive a flash or streak of light.
No. The recording’s description does not say which crew members experienced flashes.
They can pass through the eye and strike the retina. The brain may perceive the impact as a flash or streak of light.
After the Apollo 14 mission, the crew met for a debrief in Houston. They and the questioners returned to the subject of flashes of light. The phenomenon may sound as if it happens outside the spacecraft, but the familiar explanation begins in the eye.
Particles from space can pass through the eye and strike the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. The brain may interpret the impact as light, even when there is no visible source in front of the eye. A flash can appear without anything luminous passing through space.
The recording captures part of the mission debrief. During the discussion, the crew and the questioners returned to the phenomenon of flashes of light. According to the recording’s description, the phenomenon was new at the time. It is now understood as a biological effect, meaning an effect on the body.
The discussion connects two things that seem far apart: space and the eye. The particles come from space, but the sensation of light can arise when they strike the retina. A flash, then, does not have to indicate light coming from outside.
These particles are called cosmic rays, a term for high-energy particles that come from space. When they pass through the eye and strike the retina, the brain may perceive the impact as a flash or streak of light.
The retina is a layer inside the eye that detects light. Usually, it helps us see light from an external source. In the phenomenon described here, the impact itself can create the sensation of light. In other words, a person can experience a flash without seeing a luminous object in front of the eye.
The recording’s description does not say which crew members experienced flashes or what was said about any individual case. It describes the topic under discussion and the explanation now commonly accepted: particles from space strike the retina and create the sensation of light.
Sometimes the flash begins far away, in space, but the light a person perceives originates inside the eye.