Crepuscular Rays Over Convento da Tomina, Portugal

June 20, 2013

ConventoTominaCloudsSunRays-net (3)

Photographer: Miguel Claro; Miguel's Web site
Summary Authors: Miguel Claro; Jim Foster

The photo above showing alternating rays of light and shade stretching across a portion of the sky was taken near Convento da Tomina, Portugal, on April 26, 2013. These rays are called crepuscular rays -- crepuscular is derived from the Latin word crepusculum, meaning twilight. Despite seeming to converge at a point, they're in fact near-parallel shafts of sunlight. Their apparent convergence is a result of perspective. The rays appear when sunlight streams through mountain gaps or more typically through gaps in clouds, as is the case here. The clouds responsible for these rays are blocked from view by the hill at left.

Photo details: Camera Maker: Camera Model: Canon EOS 50D; Lens: 10-20mm; Focal Length: 10mm; Aperture: f/13.0; Exposure Time: 0.0031 s (1/320); ISO equiv: 500; Exposure Bias: -0.33 EV; Software: Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows). Taken at 7:16 pm.