¿ Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2020 March 18 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Anticrepuscular Rays over Florida Image Credit & Copyright: Bryan Goff Explanation: What's happening behind those clouds? Although the scene may appear somehow [3]supernatural, nothing more unusual is occurring than a [4]Sun setting on the other side of the sky. Pictured here are [5]anticrepuscular rays. To understand them, start by picturing common [6]crepuscular rays that are seen any time that [7]sunlight pours though scattered clouds. Now although sunlight indeed travels along [8]straight lines, the projections of these lines onto the [9]spherical sky are [10]great circles. Therefore, the [11]crepuscular rays from a [12]setting (or rising) sun will appear to [13]re-converge on the other side of the sky. At the anti-solar point 180 degrees around from the [14]Sun, they are referred to as [15]anticrepuscular rays. Featured here is a particularly striking display of [16]anticrepuscular rays photographed in 2016 over [17]Dry Tortugas National Park in [18]Florida, [19]USA. Tomorrow's picture: open space __________________________________________________________________ [20]< | [21]Archive | [22]Submissions | [23]Index | [24]Search | [25]Calendar | [26]RSS | [27]Education | [28]About APOD | [29]Discuss | [30]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [31]Robert Nemiroff ([32]MTU) & [33]Jerry Bonnell ([34]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [35]Specific rights apply. [36]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [37]ASD at [38]NASA / [39]GSFC & [40]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2003/AntiCrepRays_Goff_3072.jpg 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Demon-Haunted_World 4. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap980526.html 5. https://www.atoptics.co.uk/atoptics/anti1.htm 6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crepuscular_rays 7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap050831.html 8. https://www.mathsisfun.com/data/straight_line_graph.html 9. http://math.rice.edu/~pcmi/sphere/ 10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_circle 11. http://www.allthesky.com/atmosphere/sunrays.html 12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010313.html 13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC3u1opK9YE 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/sun.html 15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anticrepuscular_ray 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190624.html 17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zLh_LMtcRE 18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida 19. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200317.html 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 24. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 29. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=200318 30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200319.html 31. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 32. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 33. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 34. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 36. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 37. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 38. https://www.nasa.gov/ 39. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 40. http://www.mtu.edu/