Corona and Rays Over Patquía, Argentina

April 27, 2016

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Photographer: Jorgelina Alvarez
Summary Authors: Jorgelina Alvarez; Dave Lynch; Jim Foster

The photo above shows an impressive solar corona I observed over the Patquía/Chilecito area of Argentina. The Sun is partially hidden behind the cloud deck at lower center. Note that the colors here aren't circularly centered on the Sun. This is because the particle size distribution of the water droplets composing the clouds varies across the field of view and is different in different clouds; thus the complexity in the structure and coloration of the corona. The conspicuous dark band at right center, as well as the ones at far right, isn't the shadow band of a crepuscular ray as it may appear, rather it’s a gap between clouds likely generated by gravity waves. Photo taken on April 16, 2016.

Photo Details: Camera Model: Canon EOS 60D; Lens: EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM; Focal Length: 35mm; Aperture: ƒ/8.0; Exposure Time: 0.0001 s (1/8000); ISO equiv: 320; Software: Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows).