"The belt of Venus"
October 14th 2010 03:37
Category: No Category
Image by CarlCan
What is the belt of Venus?
It has many descriptions but can be summed up as being an arch of pinkish light above the shadow that Earth casts on the atmosphere on the opposite of sunset.
"The belt of Venus" (named after the Roman goddess Venus) is a pink to brownish border separating the dark shadowed portion of the earth from the sky above it. It is best visible when the atmosphere is cloudless, especially if the sky is very dusty.
Many people have seen it many times, but perhaps never recognized it.
"The Belt of Venus" is a natural phenomenon that goes mostly unnoticed.
This is partly it's because it's a fairly subtle effect. Although people go out to watch sunsets all the time, they rarely think to turn away from the spectacular view in the west and see what's happening on the opposite side of the sky, you need to look towards the east.
Next time you go out and see the sunset look towards the east as the Sun sets, just for a moment turn your eyes away from the scene in the west, and look east to see a bright pink band of light shining from the opposite of the setting Sun.
This is the light of the sunset where you're standing being reflected off the atmosphere some 80 or 140 km east of where you are standing.
A few minutes later, the pinkish band has become fainter, but the hues are richer . Surprisingly, it has started to lift off the horizon. Although the effects are quite subtle it can be an impressive view.
| 97 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief