Sunlight filtering through clouds at sunrise reveals a pattern of dark cone-shaped shadows and bright rays of light in this image taken at Grand Tetons National Park.
The photographer was facing east—away from the iconic Grand Teton Mountains—when he snapped this image in 2017.
The light rays are formed by sunlight piercing the clouds. The darker regions represent the clouds casting shadows where sunlight could not pass through.
This interplay of light and shadow is similar to the bright rays and dark shadows stretching across nearby active galaxy IC 5063. In that case, a monster black hole in the galaxy's core is producing a gusher of light from superheated infalling gas. Most of the light is penetrating the dust ring encircling the black hole, creating the bright rays. However, some light hits dense patches in the ring, casting the ring's shadow into space.
Credits
Z. Levay| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Description | Crepuscular rays at Grand Teton National Park |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
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| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |
