Rays Over the Rockies

October 02, 2004

Sun_pillers

Provided and copyright by: Rich Jackson
Summary authors & editors: Jim Foster; Rich Jackson

The photo above showing crepuscular rays was taken just before sunset at Highlands Ranch, a suburb of Denver, Colorado on July 31, 2004. Lingering sunlight at day's end finds its way through and past the cumulus clouds along the horizon, and perhaps peaks of the nearby Rocky Mountains, resulting in these fingers of light and darkness. Note the reddened tip of the cloud at the top of the picture, which is being illuminated by one of the rays. When the Sun's near or below the horizon, the shorter wavelengths (blues, greens and yellows) of light are filtered out due to the greater path length of sunlight through the atmosphere.

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