Mystery images; what is going on here?
Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 2:14 am
Our gracious host and astrophysicist RJN forwarded the photos below to me. Both of them puzzle me a bit, so I ask for your help in figuring out -- or informing me if you already know -- just what the heck is going on here!
Mystery Image #1
Double Halo in Hong Kong
Copyright: Wah! In this image, the doubling of the halo strikes me as unusual. Usually when there's a double, the inner is the common 22-degree halo, and the outer the rarer 46-degree halo. These halos don't look spaced far enough apart to be 22-degree/46-degree halos. Often a halo will have a reddish inner edge, and the inside of the halo will be a bit darker than the rest of the sky. In this image, both halos have a reddish inner edge, and the "bit darker" part strikes me as being between the inner and outer halo, not inside the inner halo.
So... what's the deal with this image? Is this one halo that is split in some way by a dark band, or is it two halos, and if so, what's making that second halo? Mystery Image #2
Cloud Shadow
Copyright: Ken Chaney
Owl says: I don't, either, though I'm sure one exists. What is it?
Mystery Image #1
Double Halo in Hong Kong
Copyright: Wah! In this image, the doubling of the halo strikes me as unusual. Usually when there's a double, the inner is the common 22-degree halo, and the outer the rarer 46-degree halo. These halos don't look spaced far enough apart to be 22-degree/46-degree halos. Often a halo will have a reddish inner edge, and the inside of the halo will be a bit darker than the rest of the sky. In this image, both halos have a reddish inner edge, and the "bit darker" part strikes me as being between the inner and outer halo, not inside the inner halo.
So... what's the deal with this image? Is this one halo that is split in some way by a dark band, or is it two halos, and if so, what's making that second halo? Mystery Image #2
Cloud Shadow
Copyright: Ken Chaney
[attachment=0]C_9123.jpg[/attachment][/i]
The photographer of this image says: "I took this photo last Saturday afternoon (8/7/10) just as the sun was approaching the horizon at sunset. It appears the cloud with the silver lining is casting a shadow or reflection on the brightly illuminated clouds further west. The photo is not retouched except for minor color/contrast adjustment.
It's not the best of pics, maybe not suitable for APOD, but I thought I'd send it along - I just have no explanation for
the "shadow."
Owl says: I don't, either, though I'm sure one exists. What is it?