Up to OJB's Photos List

Rays at Sunset

This phenomenon is called sunbeams. It is similar to crepuscular rays where the sun's light shines up from the horizon, but this time the Sun hasn't set yet so the rays radiate from above.

When viewed from space, or high altitude, it is more obvious that what we are really seeing is shadows formed by clouds, with the sun shining through gaps. The rays are really parallel, but perspective makes them seen to diverge.