Abstract
HAPPENING by chance to look into “Loomis's Meteorology,” after reading M. Dechevren's account of the blue, white, and red bands visible before sunrise and after sunset at Zikawei, I noticed under the above heading the following account of shadow-bands, which not only appear to be very similar to those observed by Dechevrena, but are explained in identically the same way (“Loomis's Meteorology,” p. 107): “A similar phenomenon [to the water-bands described in the preceding paragraph] is frequently noticed about fifteen minutes after sunset, when the shadows of clouds near the horizon are projected upon the western sky in the form of radiant beams diverging from the sun. These beams are parallel lines of indefinite length, but from the effect of perspective they seem to diverge from the sun, and if they could be traced entirely across the sky, they would for the same reason converge to a point directly opposite to the sun. Such cases are sometimes, though not very frequently noticed. Similar shadows are sometimes seen in the morning before sunrise, and form a conspicuous feature of the morning twilight. This effect is sometimes noticed us nearly every part of the world. It must have attracted the attention of the ancient Greeks, and is thought to explain that poetic expression “the rosy-fingered dawn.”
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
ARCHIBALD, E. Shadows after Sunset. Nature 27, 77 (1882). https://doi.org/10.1038/027077a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/027077a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.