Астронет: Астрономическая картинка дня Омега на рассвете http://variable-stars.ru/db/msg/1696469/eng |
Credit & Copyright: Juan Antonio Sendra
Explanation:
Capturing this sunrise required both luck and timing.
First and foremost, precise timing was needed to capture a
sailboat
crossing right in front of a rising
Sun.
Additionally, by a lucky coincidence, the background
Sun
itself appears unusual -- it looks like the
Greek letter Omega (н).
In reality, the Sun remained its circular self -- the
Omega illusion
was created by
sunlight refracting through warm air just above the water.
Optically, the feet of the capital
Omega are actually an
inverted image of the Sun region just above it.
Although somewhat rare, optical effects caused by the
Earth's atmosphere can make distant objects near the horizon -- including the
Sun and Moon -- look
quite unusual.
This single exposure image
was taken over the
Mediterranean Sea
just over two weeks ago near
Valencia,
Spain.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.