photo #5751618

Sunbeams appear in the sky when shafts of shadow and sunlight are rendered visible by haze. The low atmosphere can be full of tiny particles – dust, smoke, water droplets, etc. – that are not dense enough to block the light but can scatter it enough to differentiate the parts in direct sunlight from those in shade. The resulting sunbeams appear more pronounced at dusk and dawn, when the Sun is low in the sky and so has to pass through more of the hazy atmosphere to reach us. For this reason, they are known as crepuscular rays, after the Latin word for ‘twilight’. The shadow across this sky spotted by Sally Coenen (Member 57,887) near Athens, Georgia, US was likely cast by the peak of a tall cloud on the western horizon. Though hidden from view, the cloud cast a single bold shadow that parted the sunset rays. As Sally put it, ‘The evening sky opened its own byway for us to follow home.’