# Why aren't vampires affected by moonlight? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 6, 2022, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426 "2022-04-06T22:36:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/1 "2022-04-06T22:36:35Z")
It’s just reflected sunlight. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/2 "2022-04-06T22:38:08Z")
Since when do vampires see reflections? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/3 "2022-04-06T22:38:55Z")
Ha ha ha. You might have a point. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/4 "2022-04-06T22:44:04Z")
It’s not that vampires can’t see reflections, it’s that they don’t _cast_ reflections in mirrors (presumably in things like water either.) That’s actually something I’ve always wondered about: can you videotape vampires, given that videocameras (back in the day) needed mirrors as focusing elements? I’ve often wondered if you can photograph or film vampires (given that the image is produced by chemical means and not simple electromagnetic phenomena) even if you can’t videotape them. As to the OP: I dunno. Maybe there’s a threshold of how much reflected sunlight can hurt a vampire. Maybe vampires are uncomfortable during a full moon, but a quarter phase, they’re okay with. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/5 "2022-04-06T22:51:12Z")
Why aren’t vampires affected by starlight? Sunlight is starlight. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/6 "2022-04-06T23:02:02Z")
Bram Stoker’s Dracula wasn’t much affected by sunlight; it just made him a bit tired. I suspect this is something you need to interpret mythologically. Vampires are creatures of the night. Even though the moon is visible in daytime nearly half the time, mythologically, it’s an entity “of the night” and so harmless to vampires (and the same goes even more so for stars) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/7 "2022-04-06T23:07:12Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Even though the moon is visible in daytime nearly half the time, mythologically, it’s an entity “of the night” and so harmless to vampires (and the same goes even more so for stars) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/cAQSZhazYk8/maxresdefault.jpg "DeBarge - Rhythm Of The Night (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAQSZhazYk8&t=51) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/8 "2022-04-06T23:09:08Z")
Well, you could get some clues if you look at a real-life analog, a disease called porphyria – more specifically a variant called porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT). It’s sometimes called “vampire disease” because it’s characterized by extreme sensitivity to sunlight. But symptoms are only triggered by direct exposure to sunlight, not moonlight, starlight, or most forms of artificial light. Presumably our favourite Transylvanian Count would be the same way. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/9 "2022-04-06T23:26:53Z")
I guess the Gold Coast Lost Boys are really into Jheri Curl? I much prefer the Central Coast vampires: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/A1dY6OkPb7E/maxresdefault.jpg "The lost boys - I still believe scene") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1dY6OkPb7E) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/10 "2022-04-07T01:26:17Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > It’s not that vampires can’t see reflections, it’s that they don’t _cast_ reflections in mirrors (presumably in things like water either.) A 25th Anniversary comic of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ came out recently. It is a collection of short stories, and one involves Spike in the Disco era. He is standing in front of a mirror, and comments about how for all the terrible ideas people have had, using aluminum to back a mirror instead of silver was one of the great ones. I thought that was really clever, saying that it was the silver that was the problem. A twist I’ve never seen before. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/11 "2022-04-07T02:22:34Z")
Vampires _are_ affected by moonlight. It doesn’t kill them. Maybe the intensity is too low? It makes them feel romantic. Nostalgic. Possibly a little peckish. What did you mean by “affected”? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/12 "2022-04-07T03:15:18Z")
Vampires have a hereditary disease that is called idiopathic plotitis. It is uncurable but also unpredictable. It may pop out at any moment or go thankfully unnoticed. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/13 "2022-04-07T03:18:31Z")
I think a scientific study of vampires and sunlight would determine that it is an intensity issue. After all, the sunlight that we get directly on Earth carries much greater energy than the reflected light that we get from the moon. It’s much brighter, for one thing, and also carries heat, that we don’t get from moonlight. My hypothesis is that it is not sunlight per se, but the amount of sunlight-energy that is received by the vampire. Clearly, a properly funded research program is needed to determine this issue. ---
**Author:** ![steepone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@steepone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steepone)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/14 "2022-04-07T03:30:26Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > > [@CaptMurdock](#): > > > > It’s not that vampires can’t see reflections, it’s that they don’t _cast_ reflections in mirrors (presumably in things like water either.) > > A 25th Anniversary comic of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ came out recently. It is a collection of short stories, and one involves Spike in the Disco era. He is standing in front of a mirror, and comments about how for all the terrible ideas people have had, using aluminum to back a mirror instead of silver was one of the great ones. I thought that was really clever, saying that it was the silver that was the problem. A twist I’ve never seen before. I’ve heard this before as a reason for not casting reflections and as a reason why vampires can’t be photographed because silver is used in making and/or processing film ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/15 "2022-04-07T03:38:38Z")
> [@steepone](#): > > I’ve heard this before as a reason for not casting reflections and as a reason why vampires can’t be photographed because silver is used in making and/or processing film So…why don’t we have more pics of them now that nobody has a film camera anymore? (Back when I worked in a film developing lab, we poured the into a barrel so the silver could be reclaimed. We amused ourselves by discussing how we could pour a barrel of used fixer at an attacking werewolf hoard. Yeah, we were bored.) ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/16 "2022-04-07T04:12:12Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > So…why don’t we have more pics of them now that nobody has a film camera anymore? Who says we don’t? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/WzuMwNmH9Vo/maxresdefault.jpg "WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS - clip 2: Stu teaches technology!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzuMwNmH9Vo&t=67) ---
**Author:** ![steepone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@steepone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steepone)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/17 "2022-04-07T04:43:52Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > > [@steepone](#): > > > > I’ve heard this before as a reason for not casting reflections and as a reason why vampires can’t be photographed because silver is used in making and/or processing film > > So…why don’t we have more pics of them now that nobody has a film camera anymore? I don’t know about digital photos but in the Buffyverse they could be seen on video ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/18 "2022-04-07T05:21:06Z")
I get it. Some days I don’t like the moon or the sun glowing on me. You can’t have a good hair or good skin day, every day. Just how it is. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/19 "2022-04-07T05:39:26Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Vampires _are_ affected by moonlight. It doesn’t kill them. Maybe the intensity is too low? Right. They’ve got to be under the moonlight, the _serious_ moonlight. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426/20 "2022-04-07T05:56:40Z")
Vampires are magical, supernatural creatures. Nothing about them can be understood through scientific, natural examination. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-vampires-affected-by-moonlight/962426.md?page=2)