Search results
A similar ray should be drawn for the lower end of the source. These rays are represented by the green colour in the diagram below. The area formed between these rays represents the shadow area formed by the object. Starting from the upper end of the source, a light ray is drawn touching the lower end of the opaque object until it reaches the ...
- Eerie UFO-like ring. This bizarre disk of red light appeared to briefly flash above the town of Possagno in northern Italy, hanging in the sky for just a few milliseconds before abruptly vanishing.
- Light arcs and halos. This photo, which was captured by an astronomer at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, shows a spectacular set of luminous arcs and halos shining around the sun.
- Bizarre blue blobs. An astronaut on board the International Space Station (ISS) snapped this image of two bizarre blue blobs of light glimmering in our planet's atmosphere.
- Ethereal whirlpool of light. This ethereal whirlpool of blue light appeared in the night sky above Alaska, briefly stealing the limelight from a strong auroral display.
- Atmospheric Optical Phenomena Definition
- Atmospheric Optical Phenomena Causes
- Types of Atmospheric Optical Phenomena
- Factors Affecting Atmospheric Optical Phenomena
Atmospheric optical phenomena are created when sunlight or moonlight interacts with different atmospheric components like clouds, dust, water vapour and gases. The interaction of solar wind with certain atmospheric gasescan also cause these optical phenomena.
Atmospheric optical phenomena occur when light passing through the atmosphere is obstructed and/or deflected. Air molecules, aerosol particles and various hydrometeors, such as cloud droplets and raindrops, can cause these obstructions. Deflection can happen through different mechanisms: reflection, refraction, diffraction, scattering and absorptio...
Blue Skies and White Clouds
Nitrogen in the atmosphere selectively scatters shorter wavelengths (violet, blue and green) more efficiently than longer wavelengths (yellow, orange and red). The sky appears blue because our eyes are more sensitive to blue light. Clouds appear white due to countless droplets scattering all visible wavelengthsin all directions. Dark clouds appear when clouds grow thicker, larger and taller, and little light penetrates the base of the cloud. Raindrops at the cloud base are too large to scatte...
Afterglow
Afterglow is the whitish and pinkish arch of light in the twilight sky, created by dust in the high stratosphere that catches the hues of the twilight arch below the horizon. It consists of bright segments and purple light and is often observed during or after volcanic eruptionswhen large amounts of dust and ash are deposited into the high atmosphere.
Crepuscular Rays
When dust, smoke and other dry particles in the atmosphere scatter light from the rising or setting Sun, it creates sunbeams called crepuscular rays. These rays can be seen streaming through gaps in clouds. They typically appear during twilight when the Sun is just below the horizon.
The interaction of light with individual particles can often explain the geometry and colouration of atmospheric optical phenomena. For instance, rainbows result from light interacting with spherical particles, and halos from light interacting with hexagonal ice crystals. However, these phenomena are produced by numerous particles dispersed through...
Optical phenomenon. Optical phenomena are any observable events that result from the interaction of light and matter. All optical phenomena coincide with quantum phenomena. [1] Common optical phenomena are often due to the interaction of light from the Sun or Moon with the atmosphere, clouds, water, dust, and other particulates.
Sundogs, light pillars, and other kinds of halos seen in the sky are atmospheric phenomena that occur when light is reflected or refracted by ice crystals in the atmosphere. A Sun halo seen from Lofoten Islands, Norway. The size, shape, and distance from the Earth’s surface of the ice crystals determine what kind of optical phenomenon people ...
Visible Light Because our atmosphere blocks or partially absorbs certain wavelengths, Hubble’s position 320 miles above Earth’s surface puts it in a location where it can capture details of objects that would be difficult or impossible for ground-based telescopes to observe. Hubble has also worked in concert with other telescopes, combining its observations with those […]
People also ask
What astronomical phenomena involve light rays?
How does light explain astronomical phenomena?
What are optical phenomena?
What is an example of an atmospheric optical phenomenon?
What are some phenomena that result from particle or wave nature of light?
How do Astronomers study the universe?
Using All Our Senses in Space We experience the world through different senses: sight, touch, taste, hearing, and smell. Similarly, astronomers now study the universe using different messengers: light, particles, and space-time ripples called gravitational waves. They can learn much more about cosmic objects and events by combining information from multiple messengers than by using […]
