Crepuscular Rays Over the Ionian Sea
February 15, 2022
Photographer: Vincenzo Russo
Summary Author: Vincenzo Russo
When sunlight passes through irregular obstacles- such as clouds or the profile of a mountain- beams of light are created that appear to converge towards the Sun. These distinct beams can be observed at either sunrise or sunset and are called crepuscular rays. The photo above features crepuscular rays as observed from the coast of Acireale, Italy overlooking the Ionian Sea.
Crepuscular rays widen and lose contrast as they move away from the Sun. However, in some instances if we look in the opposite direction away from the Sun, they become visible again as weak beams of light appearing to converge towards the antisolar point. These beams on the horizon opposite the sunrise or sunset are called anticrepuscular rays. Both crepuscular and anticrepuscular rays produce beams that are parallel to one another although they appear to converge due to the viewer’s perspective. Photo taken on November 26, 2021, at 15:25 UTC.
Photo data: Nikon D810a; Nikon 24-120mm f/4G; focal length: 34mm; f/8; ISO-200; 1/125” second exposure; software: Photoshop, Capture NX-D