Anticrepuscular Rays, Sunset Colors and Belt of Venus

January 07, 2016

Flares_EPOD

Photographer: Diego Rizzo
Summary Authors: Diego Rizzo; Jim Foster

The photo above showing striking anticrepuscular rays, clouds illuminated by the setting Sun and the Belt of Venus was captured from the highlands of western Guatemala. As the Sun dipped low in the west (the camera is facing east), clouds were both above and below my position on the flank of Volcán Tajumulco. Suddenly, the cloud layer above dissipated allowing the light from the Sun to ignite the towering cumulus clouds at far right. The rays at center (anticrepuscular rays) resulted when a huge cloud partially blocked the setting Sun. At left, a rosy horizon is the signature of the Belt of Venus — reddened sunlight reflecting off the rising Earth's shadow. Photo taken on December 16, 2015.
 
Photo Details: Camera Model: NIKON D3200; Lens: 18.0-55.0 mm f/3.5-5.6; Focal Length: 18mm (35mm equivalent: 27mm); Aperture: ƒ/7.1; Exposure Time: 0.050 s (1/20); ISO equiv: 100; Software: Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Macintosh).