September Sunrise Shadows
Image Credit &
Copyright:
Donato Lioce
The defining astronomical moment
for this September's equinox was on
Friday, September 23, 2022 at 01:03 UTC,
when the Sun crossed the celestial equator moving south in its
yearly journey through planet Earth's sky.
That marked the beginning of
fall for our fair planet
in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere,
when day and night are nearly equal around the globe.
Of course, if you celebrate the
astronomical change of seasons
by watching a sunrise you can also look for crepuscular rays.
The shadows cast by clouds can have a dramatic appearance in the
twilight sky during any sunrise or sunset.
Due to perspective,
the parallel shadows will seem to point back to the rising Sun
and a place
due east on your horizon near the equinox date.
Taken on September 15, this sunrise sea and skyscape captured
crepuscular rays in the sky and watery
specular reflections
from the Mediterranean coast near the village of Petacciato, Italy.