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Credit & Copyright: Arne Erisoty
Explanation:
In dwindling twilight
at an August day's end,
these broad dark bands appeared in the sky for a moment, seen from
Robert
Smithson's Spiral Jetty on
the eastern shore of Utah's
Great Salt Lake.
Outlined by rays of sunlight known as
crepuscular
rays, they are actually shadows cast by
clouds near the distant western horizon, the setting Sun having
disappeared from direct view behind them.
The cloud shadows are parallel, but seem to converge in the distance
because
of perspective.
Coiled in the salt-encrusted lake surface,
Smithson's most famous earthwork
provides a dramatic contrast to the converging lines.
The Spiral Jetty was constructed in 1970, when the water level was
unusually low and was completely submerged in a few years
as the level rose.
Now just above water again, it has spent much
of its existence submerged in
the briny lake.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: sunset - crepuscular rays - Earth
Publications with words: sunset - crepuscular rays - Earth
See also:
- APOD: 2025 December 30 Á An Artificial Comet
- APOD: 2025 December 22 Á Sunset Solstice over Stonehenge
- APOD: 2025 October 15 Á Rocket Launch Plume over Tucson
- APOD: 2025 October 12 Á All the Water on Europa
- APOD: 2025 December 8 Á Flying Over the Earth at Night
- APOD: 2025 September 7 Á All the Water on Planet Earth
- APOD: 2025 June 15 Á Two Worlds One Sun