Sky Lava

Provided and copyright by: Rob Bruner, NOAA
Summary authors & editors:  Jim Foster, Rob Bruner 

This photo of a fiery sunrise was taken on January 29, 2008, from my 8th floor office in Norfolk, Virginia. The sky was a canvas of scarlet and burnt orange reflecting off the low-lying clouds. By the time I got my camera out of my bag, the clouds and colors combined to remind me of a lava flow in the sky. Clear skies at dawn or dusk generally render rather uninteresting twilights. Add clouds and aerosols (dust, pollen, ash, etc) to the mix, though, and the sky may come alive with brilliant shades and hues.