Belt of Venus over Mt. Everest

July 27, 2023

 

Belt of Venus over Everest Annotated

Photographer: Soumyadeep Mukherjee  
Summary Author: Soumyadeep Mukherjee  

The Belt of Venus, or the anti-twilight arch is an optical phenomenon caused by the backscattering of sunlight reflected off the dense atmosphere. It’s seen as a pink band above the rising or setting Earth's shadow. To see it, simply look toward the antisolar point just after sunset or just before sunrise.

This photo was captured from Sadhutar, Nepal and shows the Belt of Venus above Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain. Note that two other towering peaks can be seen in the photo: Lhotse (world’s 4th highest mountain) and Makalu (world’s 5th highest mountain). Photo taken on October 30, 2022.

Photo details: Nikon D5600 camera; Sigma 50 mm; f/8,1/10 second exposure; ISO 100; 50 mm; Digitek tripod.

 

Sadhutar, Nepal Coordinates: 27.0782, 87.8134

Related Links:

Mt. Etna, Alpenglow and Belt of Venus

Soumyadeep’s Website