Lunar Crepuscular Rays in Italy
October 06, 2021
Photographer: Elena Paschetto
Summary Author: Elena Paschetto; Cadan Cummings
The spectacular scene above features crepuscular rays observed over Sanfront, Italy. Formed when a cloud or landform on the viewer’s horizon partially blocks the light from the Sun or Moon, crepuscular rays are columns of light that appear to radiate toward a light source in the sky. Dust or aerosols in the air further enhance the effect by scattering the incoming light. Surprisingly, the columns of light are parallel, although perspective makes the light appear to converge to the light source. The phenomenon primarily occurs during twilight conditions, which is why it lends its name from the Latin word for twilight. Unique to most instances of rays that originate from the Sun, the picture above shows lunar crepuscular rays created by the Waning Gibbous Moon around 2:00am local time on July 29, 2021.
Photo data: Canon EOS 80D, 18 mm, ISO 2500, f/4, 2 second exposure