Rays Above Rome
March 28, 2004
The above picture was taken while standing on the Spanish Stairs in Rome, at 14:00 on February 16th, 2004. Cumulus clouds passed overhead and in front of the Sun, creating the beautiful shadow stripes. These are crepuscular rays, which are also known as Sun drawing water, sunbeams, and Rays of Buddha -- yes, even in Rome. Though most often seen when the Sun is low in the sky or below the horizon, they can be observed in the middle of the day as well. These rays of sunlight and shadow always point in the direction of the Sun. They're essentially parallel but perspective produces the fan like appearance. This picture was taken with a Kodak DC240 Zoom camera.