Spectacular atmospheric optics.

September 12, 2002 5:23 AM

Spectacular atmospheric optics.
Beautiful pictures of atmospheric phenomena, common and rare. You can also run your own halo simulations if you like... (Found in New Scientist's Weblinks, an extensive, annotated collection of all kinds of science links from all over the web.)
posted by talos (13 comments total)

Great link, turned me into a lunchtime optics geek ;o)
posted by MintSauce at 5:37 AM on September 12, 2002

Really great pictures, thanks for the link.
posted by riffola at 5:39 AM on September 12, 2002

<insert Halo 3 joke here>
posted by riffola at 5:54 AM on September 12, 2002

Wow; great post!
posted by TedW at 6:10 AM on September 12, 2002

Oh, this is good. Beautiful images, and great information; a lovely fusion of art and science! I'm only about halfway through the site, but I was I delighted to learn about "crepuscular" and "anticrepuscular rays, having observed and wondered about this myself.

I really can't resist linking to an image of mine, in honor of the subject, but especially for Talos, since it was taken from my balcony in Thessaloniki, Greece (Talos - Aristotelou Square). This was taken with the cheapest of pencams, and molested a bit in photoshop, but the basic information remains...

(This is just a "floater", something I put up for the occasion. There is nothing else of interest at the address.)
posted by taz at 6:29 AM on September 12, 2002

Sundog? Songdog? I became interested in parhelia because of some early confusion on this matter. I've only experienced a few glimpses of these beautiful phenomena, but I'm on the lookout.
posted by Songdog at 6:59 AM on September 12, 2002

The peaks of the Hawaiian volcanos can be great for glories, by the way. Just one more reason to go there :)
posted by Songdog at 7:11 AM on September 12, 2002

this is AWESOME.

i especially liked the simulations of halos on different planets, taking into effect the geometry of the crystals of the different molecules in the atmosphere! holy crap!
posted by taumeson at 7:21 AM on September 12, 2002

Nice.

This anticrepuscular pic has been my deesktop wallpaper since it first appeared on APoD.
posted by mbd1mbd1 at 7:43 AM on September 12, 2002

Last month, I was treated to sundogs one day and a few days later to some iridescent clouds. The sundogs in Virginia don't seem to be as bright as the ones I grew up spotting in New Mexico. However, the parhelic circle and the solar halo are much more visible here.

My Grandpa first pointed out sundogs to me and said they were an indication of rain to come. Old farmer's tale? I don't know. I still think of him everytime I see them though.

Thanks for the great site!
posted by onhazier at 8:50 AM on September 12, 2002

As I perused this wonderful little site, a long stream of steam idly wafted from my coffee cup to front of my computer monitor. The refraction of the rays from the anticrepsucular article bounced off the droplets of coffee-steam and were refracted into the cup, onto the shining, mirror-like surface, essentially resulting in (wait for it) ---

Clouds in my coffee. Neat!
posted by DenOfSizer at 12:46 PM on September 12, 2002

Hey, I saw a fogbow Saturday before last. Now I know the proper name.
posted by y2karl at 7:50 PM on September 12, 2002

I saw a circumzenithal arc back in February. They are beautiful, and so unexpected.
posted by Nothing at 4:08 AM on September 23, 2002