Light phenomena

we present you a selection of 20-the most beautiful natural phenomena associated with the play of light. Truly indescribable phenomena of nature - this is a must see! Conditionally divide all light metamorphoses into three subgroups. First - Water and Ice, the second - Rays and Shadows, and the third - light contrast. Water and Ice Okologorizontalnaya arc This phenomenon is also known as "fiery rainbow." Created in the sky, when light is refracted through ice crystals in cirrus clouds. This phenomenon is very rare, and because the ice crystals and the sun should rise exactly on the horizontal line that was so spectacular refraction. This was a particularly good example is embodied in the sky over Spokane in Washington in 2006 godu

A couple more examples of fiery radugi





"The Phantom of Brocken" When the sun shines on the climber or any other object on top - the shadow projected on the fog, creating a curious triangular shape increased. This effect is accompanied by a kind of halo around the object - colored circle of light that appear directly opposite the sun, when the sunlight reflected by the same cloud of water droplets. The name of this natural phenomenon is due to the fact that most often observed is sufficiently accessible to the German mountaineers low peaks Brock, due to frequent fogs in this rayone







Okolozenitnaya arc In a nutshell - it is upside down rainbow =) Such a huge colorful smiley in the sky) to receive a miracle due to the refraction of sunlight through a horizontal ice crystals in the clouds of a certain shape. The phenomenon is concentrated at its zenith, parallel to the horizon, the range of colors - from blue near the zenith and the horizon to red. This phenomenon is always in the form of partial circular arcs; full circle in a similar situation - extremely rare Doug Kern, which was first captured on film in 2007 godu



Misty Doug This strange aura was seen with the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco - he looked like a completely white rainbow. Like a rainbow, this phenomenon is created because of the refraction of light through water droplets in the clouds, but, in contrast to the rainbow - because of the small size of the droplets of fog color as it is not enough. Therefore, it turns colorless rainbow - just white) The sailors often refer to them as "wolves of the sea" or "hazy arc"





When the rainbow halo light as it scattered back (a mixture of reflection, refraction and diffraction) - back to its source, the water droplets in the clouds, the shadow of the object between the cloud and the source can be divided into colored bands. Glory translates more as the unearthly beauty - just the exact name of this beautiful natural phenomenon) In some parts of China, this phenomenon is even called the Light of the Buddha - he is often accompanied by the Ghost Brock. In the photo beautiful colored stripes effectively surround the shadow of the plane in front oblaka



Solar halo halo - one of the most well-known and common optical phenomena, they appear under a variety of guises. The most common is the phenomenon of solar halo caused by refraction of light by ice crystals in cirrus clouds at high altitude and a particular shape and orientation of the crystals can create a change in the appearance of a halo. During very cold weather halos formed crystals close to the ground reflect sunlight between them, sending him in several directions at once - this is known as the "diamond dust"





Rainbow clouds when the sun is exactly the right angle behind the clouds - water droplets they refract light, creating an intense trailing train. Coating as in rainbow caused by the different wavelengths of light - different wavelengths are refracted at different degrees, by changing the angle of refraction, and hence the color of light in our perception. In this photo, iridescent clouds accompanied by sharply colored radugoy

A few more pictures of this yavleniya





Moon arc combination of low moon and dark sky often creates lunar arc essentially rainbow made light of the moon. Appearing at the opposite end of the sky the moon, they usually look like a completely white due to poor color, but with a long exposure photograph can capture the true colors, as in this photo taken in Yosemite National Park, Kaliforniya.

A few photos of the lunar radugi





Pargelichesky circle This phenomenon occurs as a white ring surrounding the sky, always at the same height above the horizon as the sun. Usually I manage to catch only fragments of the whole picture. Millions of vertically arranged ice crystals reflect the rays of the sun across the sky to get this beautiful yavlenie.

On the sides of the resulting spheres often appear so called false sun, like this foto

Rainbow Rainbow can take many forms: mnogozhestvennye arc intersecting arcs, red arc, the same arc, the arc with colored edges, dark stripes, "spokes" and many others, but unites them is that they are divided into colors - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Remember from childhood "zapominalka" arrangement of colors in the rainbow - Every hunter wants to know where sits Pheasant? =) Rainbows appear when light is refracted through water droplets in the atmosphere, often in the rain, but the smoke or fog can also create similar effects, and much rarer than one would imagine. At all times, many different cultures attributed rainbows many meanings and explanations, such as the ancient Greeks believed that the rainbow was the road to heaven, and the Irish felt that at the point where it ends rainbow - leprechaun buried his pot of gold =)







Rays and Shadows Crown Crown - a type of plasma atmosphere that surrounds a celestial body. The most famous example of this phenomenon - the corona around the sun during a total eclipse. It extends into space for thousands of kilometers and contains ionized iron, warmed almost to a million degrees Celsius. During the eclipse of its bright light surrounded by shaded sun and seems like around the world there is a crown of sveta





When Twilight rays darkened areas or permeable obstacles such as tree branches or clouds, filtered sun ray - the rays obtained from the whole column of light emanating from a single source in the sky. This phenomenon is often used in horror movies, usually observed at sunrise or sunset, and can even be witnessed under the ocean when the sun's rays pass through the strip of broken ice. This beautiful photo was taken in the National Park Yuty

A few primerov







Fata Morgana interaction between the cold air near the ground level and warm air immediately above it can act as a refracting lens and turn upside-down image of the objects on the horizon, according to which the actual image seems to fluctuate. In this picture, do in Thuringia, Germany, the horizon at a distance, it seems, disappeared altogether, while the blue part of the road - a reflection of the sky above the horizon. The allegation that a mirage - completely non-existent images that are only for people lost in the wilderness, is incorrect, probably confused with the effects of extreme dehydration, which can cause hallucinations. Mirages are always based on real objects, although it is true that they may seem close because of the effect mirazha



The shaft of light Reflection of light by ice crystals from the almost perfectly flat, horizontal surface creates a strong beam. th light may be the sun, the moon or even artificial light. An interesting feature is that the post will be the color of the source. In this photo taken in Finland, orange sunlight at sunset creates a gorgeous orange stolb

A couple more "sun pillars")



Light contrasts Aurora Clash of charged particles in the upper atmosphere often produces excellent light pictures in the polar regions. The color depends on the content of elemental particles - most auroras appear green or red for oxygen, nitrogen, but sometimes creates a deep blue or purple visibility. In the photo - the famous Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek god of the north wind Boreya







And Northern Lights looks of kosmosa



Condensation (contrail) next next couple, who follow the aircraft through the whole sky - it is one of the most stunning examples of human intervention in the atmosphere. They established or airplane exhaust or air vortices from the wings and appear only in cold temperatures at high altitude, condensing into droplets of ice and water. This photo bunch of contrails crosses the sky, creating a bizarre example of this unnatural fenomena





Next exhaust gas flares High-altitude wind bend traces of rockets and their small exhaust particles prevryaschayut sunlight shimmering in the bright colors that sometimes the same wind transported thousands of kilometers until they finally dissipate. In the photo - traces of the Minotaur rocket launched from a US Air Force base in Vandenberg, Kaliforniya

The polarization of the sky Sky, as well as many other things around us, scatters polarized light having a certain electromagnetic orientation. The polarization is always perpendicular to the light path itself and if there is in the light of only one polarization direction - say the light is linearly polarized. This photo was taken with polarized filter wide angle lens to show how exciting looks electromagnetic charge in the sky. Notice what shade sky is near the horizon, and what - in the verhu

Star trail is technically invisible to the naked eye, this phenomenon can be captured, leaving the camera for at least an hour, and sometimes all night with an open lens. The natural rotation of the Earth causes the stars in the sky move across the horizon, making for a great trail. The only star in the night sky, which is always in the same place - of course same polarity as it is actually on the same axis with the Earth and its vibrations are noticeable only in the North Pole. The same would be true in the south, but there is no star, bright enough to observe a similar effekt







And here is a photo from the pole)

Zodiacal light is faint triangular light seen in the evening sky, and extending to the heavens, the zodiacal light is easily hidden light air pollution or moonlight. This phenomenon is caused by sunlight reflected from dust particles in space, known as cosmic dust, hence its spectrum is absolutely identical to that of the solar system. Solar radiation causes dust to rise slowly, creating a magnificent constellation of delicately scattered across the sky ogonkov.





Source: lifeglobe.net/blogs/details?id=977