You know that thing that happens a million times when you’re strolling along the beach at night. You stop and stare at the Moon sitting over the water, and the glow isn’t a neat round blob. It looks like an endless road of light rolling straight toward you. And if you move along the shore, that road follows you like your ride-or-die bestie.

Why does the Moon’s reflection on the sea look like a path?

To get it, picture the sea as a floor covered in shattered mirrors that never stop wriggling. If the water were as still as your bathroom mirror, you’d only see a perfect circle. But because the sea has waves and ripples, every little patch of water acts like a tiny mirror, bouncing the Moon’s light back.

The funny bit is that from where you’re standing, you can only catch the reflections from the waves that are tilted just right toward your eyes. Since there are thousands of tiny ripples between you and the Moon, all those sparkles line up and boom, you get that shiny “path.” The light is actually going everywhere, but you only receive the little “flashes” aimed at your exact spot. You’re the main character of your very own lunar highway!