Seasons and sky
Crepuscular Rays
Direct answer
Crepuscular Rays are alternating bright and shadowed beams that appear to fan outward from the Sun when clouds or terrain block scattered light.
Crepuscular Rays are sunward light-and-shadow beams shaped by perspective.
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At a glance
- Found in
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Related
- Green Flash, Anticrepuscular Rays, Astronomical Season, Equinox
Crepuscular Rays are sunward light-and-shadow beams shaped by perspective.
A Sun-Earth orientation for seasonal, atmospheric, tidal, and terrestrial terms.
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The story behind Crepuscular Rays
Artists and observers depicted the rays long before atmospheric scattering and linear perspective supplied physical explanations.
Why Crepuscular Rays matters
Crepuscular Rays reveal atmospheric particles and cloud shadows while illustrating why parallel beams can appear to diverge.
Crepuscular Rays in practice: an example
Gaps in a low cloud deck can project bright shafts through humid air after a storm.
Where readings of Crepuscular Rays go wrong
The usual misreading is to interpret apparent divergence as the beams physically spreading from a nearby point.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- National Weather Service: Atmospheric Optics - NWS science reference for halos, pillars, sundogs, green flashes, rays, and related optical displays.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
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Common questions
What are Crepuscular Rays?
Crepuscular Rays are alternating bright and shadowed beams that appear to fan outward from the Sun when clouds or terrain block scattered light.
What is the history of Crepuscular Rays?
Artists and observers depicted the rays long before atmospheric scattering and linear perspective supplied physical explanations.
What do people get wrong about Crepuscular Rays?
The usual misreading is to interpret apparent divergence as the beams physically spreading from a nearby point.
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