Home    OPOD   What's New   Rays & Shadows     Crepuscular rays       Formation       Sky-wide rays       Lunar rays       Reflected rays       More images       Mystery Painting     Anti-crepuscular     Cloud shadows     Mountain Shadow     Earth's Shadow     Blue Sky       Sunsets     Sunset Mirages     Green Flash     Moonrise/set     Opposition effect   Water Droplets   Rainbows   Ice Halos   High Atmosphere   Links & Resources   Search - Index   123456789012345678		Sunrays - Crepuscular rays
		Sun rays, also called crepuscular rays, streaming through gaps in clouds are parallel columns of sunlit air separated by darker cloud shadowed regions. The rays appear to diverge because of perspective effects, like the parallel furrows of freshly ploughed fields or a road wide at your feet yet apparently narrowing with distance. Airborne dust, inorganic salts, organic aerosols, small water droplets and the air molecules themselves scatter the sunlight and make the rays visible. Images ©Les Cowley