Unusual Sardinian sunset

Barberskum wrote:

This shot is quite similar to Conns
www.atoptics.co.uk/atoptics/rayim2.htm

from this page
www.atoptics.co.uk/atoptics/rayim1.htm

Les Cowley, the author of that website, will be over here to give a talk at Solarfest (solar astronomy star party in Dunsink) in June. Would be interesting to hear his views as he is quite knowledgeable on the subject.

Michael.

Michael, I rechecked the data I gave and need to correct/modify a few things. The time I quoted of 19:18:22 was from my camera which of course was on Irish time – should be 18:18:22. The house location is in Costa Paradiso (as shown in your Isola Asinara image) – precise location is Lat 41.05521 and Long. 8.95298. Isola Asinara has 3 peaks of 318, 391 and 408 metres clustered within 5 miles of each other at its most northerly point which I also calculate to be 35 miles from my observing point.

From Starry Night Pro and using the camera time I have calculated that the Sun’s position (just below my horizon) was 11.25º north of West. I have a detailed map of Sardinia and a line from my observing point 11.25º north of West would not pass through Isola Asinara , but a little north of it and an extension of this line across the western Med. eventually arrives in Andorra. I had another look at the image and by brightening it you can see the tip of the island but the ‘vertical ray’ is further right of it (more northerly). A lot depends on the accuracy of all these measurements.
farm2.static.flickr.com/1053/3270467532_5fd10114da_b.jpg

Dave, you made a suggestion of a ship just over the horizon being the cause and I wondered if 2 passing car ferries could produce this result? I took all my shots between 18:18:07 and 18:20:03 and from a close examination of these images I cannot detect any expected angle change in the ‘rays’.

Frank, thanks for the video lead into shadows, vanishing points and perspective. The connection with the Apollo landings is fascinating. This is educational to me and I need to study and try and absorb it. The links to similar images is helpful. Your suggestion to send it to spaceweather is a good idea – I will try that and let you know.
Thanks to all for your opinions.

Your welcome Conn.
This kind of dectective stuff is fun.

Mike.
I made the same conclusion to Conn when I looked at the photo & then overlayed it into Google Earth so my guess that if it were not clouds then if you follow in
a line out to sea the next tallest things you hit are the Pyrenees.

In Conns pics if you connect the diagonals of the shadow lines
(I can see a fainter third one also to the far right)
They intersect about half way out in the bay - this intersection point is where the light
source (The Sun)was and so this is how far below the horizon it was
at the time of the shot.
If you visualize the immense curvature of the planet you can maybe
get a sense that the suns light may be casting shadows by objects
much much further away than the horizon.

Did anyone run Google Earth from the base of the Pyrneess
at the time of Conns pic to see where the sun was?
That might suggest something.

As for boats making the shadows.
My own personal opinion is that a tanker size ship would not be
big enough. I'm also open to correction there.

Barberskum wrote:

Your welcome Conn.
This kind of dectective stuff is fun.

Yes, this is quite good fun actually!

And yes, I think you may both be correct in saying it is the Pyrenees. The peninsula is actually visible in the photo to the left of the setting Sun. The time Conn places on the photo would indeed position the Sun too far north of this peninsula and is actually below the sea horizon according to Google Earth. Therefoe, the next piece of land is indeed the Pyrenees. Amazing! I would never have it thought it possible that this phenomena could be visible across such a distance!

When I re-checked the line in Google Earth, I get a bearing of approx 282degrees. This is very close to what you got as well Conn. This places the line of the setting Sun passing roughly midway between Barcelona and Andorra.

Overall though, a very interesting picture!

Michael.