|
Credit & Copyright: Soumyadeep Mukherjee
Explanation:
You've surely seen it, but you might not have noticed it.
During a cloudless
twilight, just before
sunrise or after
sunset, part of the atmosphere
above the horizon appears slightly dark and off-color.
Called the
Belt of Venus,
this transitional band between the dark
eclipsed sky and the bright day sky
can be seen most prominently in the direction
opposite the Sun.
Straight above,
blue sky is normal sunlight
reflecting off the atmosphere, while near the horizon the clear sky can
appear more orange or red.
In the Belt of Venus, the atmosphere reflects more
light from the setting (or rising) Sun and so
appears more red.
Featured here, the
Belt of Venus was photographed over several
Himalayan mountains
including, second from the right,
Mount Everest, the
tallest mountain on
Earth.
Although usually
not mentioned, the belt is
frequently
caught
by
accident
in
other
photographs.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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: belt of Venus
Publications with words: belt of Venus
See also: