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Credit & Copyright: Fefo Bouvier
Explanation:
What's happening behind that island?
Things both expected and unexpected.
Expected, perhaps, the pictured rays of light -- called
crepuscular rays
-- originate from
the Sun.
Unexpected, though,
the Sun was being
partially eclipsed by
the Moon
at the time -- late last month.
Expected, perhaps, the
Sun's rays are quite bright as they shine through gaps
in
below-horizon clouds.
Unexpected, though, the
crepuscular rays are quite red, likely the
result
an abundance of
aerosols in
Earth's atmosphere
scattering away much of the blue light.
Expected, with hope, a
memorable scene featuring both the
Moon and the Sun, superposed.
Unfortunately, from
this location -- in
Uruguay looking toward
Argentina --
clouds obscured the eclipse -- which wasn't completely unexpected.
However, after packing up to go home,
the beauty of bright red crepuscular rays emerged --
quite unexpectedly.
Oh -- and that island on the horizon -- it's
really
two islands.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: crepuscular rays
Publications with words: crepuscular rays
See also: