Melissa and I were returning from running errands last night at sunset when we spotted these crepuscular rays and cloud shadows. (The word crepuscular is from the Latin word crepusculum which means “twilight.”) The sun was just below the horizon and clouds to the west were casting shadows across the sky. In fact, we could trace the rays all the way across the sky to the eastern horizon where they became anti-crepuscular rays converging on the antisolar point (the point directly opposite the Sun). You don’t often see these shadows and rays crossing the entire sky. The rays are parallel, but due to perspective, they seem to converge to vanishing points directly toward the sun and directly toward the antisolar point. They appear at their widest overhead.
Below: Looking west. One cloud shadow is visible in the middle and another toward the left side. They appear to converge toward the Sun which is below the horizon.
Below: Looking toward the southwest.
Below: Looking high toward the south. This is the widest part of the ray. The first quarter Moon is visible near the bottom.
Below: Looking south-southeast. The shadow is beginning to converge again. Moon to the lower right.
Below: Looking southeast. Main shadow in the middle with a second dimmer one to the lower right.
Below: Anti-crepuscular rays converging on the antisolar point to the east. In the lower left corner see the pinkish glow of the Belt of Venus and the Earth’s gray shadow.
I want to stitch these images together to form a panoramic shot. I will post it when I get it done.
