Crosswalk Glows

On the crosswalk painted stripes the shadow of Aysun’s head - strictly speaking where the shadow of her camera would be - is surrounded by a bright glow.

‘Opposition glows’ arise in several ways.

Heiligenschein: Dewdrops focus light which is then transmitted back through the drops.

Shadow Hiding: Trees and stones cast shadows. Opposite the sun they appear to fall behind the object casting them. The shadows are hidden and so the area around the antisolar point is comparatively brighter.

Coherent backscatter: An interference effect from closely packed particles. It is partly responsible for this glow on Mars and the brightness of Mars in our skies when opposite the sun (opposition).

Retro reflection: Minerals in rocks and glass beads in paint retro-reflect light. The likely cause of the crosswalk glow because the glow is weaker away from the painted stripes and the road was dry.

And of course there is the glory!