Sunlit Anticrepuscular Ray and Gibbous Moon
September 14, 2013
Photographer: Kelly DeLay; Kelly's web site
Summary Author: Kelly DeLay
The photo above features a sunlit anticrepuscular ray seemingly pointing at the gibbous Moon. It was captured just after sunset from Frisco, Texas. This bright ray looked a bit like a giant comet streaking across the sky. Anticrepuscular rays are seen on the opposite side of the sky from the setting (or rising) Sun. Like crepuscular rays they also fan outward from the horizon. You can tell that this is an anticrepuscular ray rather than a crepuscular ray because the Moon is in the waxing, gibbous phase -- already up in the eastern sky at sunset. Note that much more subtle anticrepuscular rays are visible at lower left. Photo taken on July 18, 2013.