Some rough calculations:
5 leagues ≈ 15 mi ≈ 24.1 km. An average human has hair that’s maybe 20 cm wide. Using the small angle approximation we get an angular size of 0.2/24100 ≈ 8.3x10^-6 radians.
At 400 nm wavelength, resolving details of that angular size requires an aperture of 1.22(400 nm / 8.3x10^-6) ≈ 5.88 cm.
So either Legolas has some absolutely massive eyes, has the ability to use both his eyes for optical interferometry (I’m voting for this since it’s the coolest), or is just plain magic.
There’s magic in this world, it’s possible elf sight is slightly magical.
He has very strange-looking ears as well so I don’t see the issue.
Also, take that, people who were whining about artists drawing manga-style LotR fanart after the Peter Jackson movies.
Anyway, does Legolas’ ability to see very far necessarily mean his pupils must be humongous? The pupils on eagles aren’t exactly very large either but as a cursory internet search tells me their internal structure is very different from human eyes. Anyone able to speculate on elvish eye anatomy?
many eyes are near the diffraction limit (for human sized eyes the diffraction limit is around 20/10 vision). To have better accuity you factually need larger eyes. Although it’s the size of the lens that matters more than pupil size strictly. The pupil modifies the lens optics but the lens determines the limit.
What if the refractive index of elvish eyes were somehow absurdly high? Paired with a very high resolution and sensitivity retina of course.
the diffraction limit of a lens cant really be circumvented optically, it’s a fundamental limit of light due to being waves. so some insane refractive index wont help.
but elves are magical, so what if their eyes don’t care about the physical nature of light and just sorta convert it to magical pseudo-light when it contacts their tissue?
that’s not really relevant to the question at hand. “but magic” is clearly not an interesting answer when people are playing around with physics.
Ok but 15 miles is over the horizon isn’t it?
Elves canonically see in a flat plane, which is why they’re able to navigate to Valinor across the straight road, which is west of the grey havens ignoring the world’s curvature.
Bros’ eyes make light curve
you know, having elves just actually work like people used to think humans work would be pretty neat: elves literally do emit magical rays from their eyes and they see what the rays hit, elves do have 3 humors that need to be in balance, etc…
Cold elf sperm makes girls and hot elf sperm makes boys
