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Astronomy Picture of the Day - An Anticrepuscular Rainbow Fan
NASA ^ | 20 Oct, 2026 | Credit & Copyright Aurelia Degli Esposti, Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia

Posted on 10/20/2026 12:14:29 PM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: This is an unusual rainbow. For one thing, the rainbow is not complete, appearing only in a sunlit fan -- but that by itself is not very unusual. What is most unusual is the fake location of the Sun. The Sun appears to be toward the front, just below those hills -- but it is not. That is not how rainbows work. Rainbows involve a backward reflection from falling rain, so that the Sun must really be behind you. In this case, gaps between clouds near the setting Sun allowed rays to cross the entire sky and appear to converge in front, an unusual phenomenon called anticrepuscular rays. The photo was taken with a phone last week at sunset in Presenzano, Italy. The seemingly reverse rainbow was noticed when hanging up laundry.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa

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1 posted on 10/20/2026 12:14:29 PM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 10/20/2026 12:14:58 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 31R1O; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; ...
Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

3 posted on 10/20/2026 12:15:34 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

That’s flaming gay.


4 posted on 10/20/2026 12:20:48 PM PDT by Deaf Smith (When a Texan takes his chances, chances will be taken that's for sure.)
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To: MtnClimber

Very unusual phenomenon.

Seen the crepuscular ray thing going out, never the predicted ray convergence. Have been looking since I read about it.


5 posted on 10/20/2026 12:27:17 PM PDT by doorgunner69
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To: MtnClimber

Wow.


6 posted on 10/20/2026 12:36:54 PM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
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To: MtnClimber

Anticrepuscular

Very cool!


7 posted on 10/20/2026 12:40:54 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: MtnClimber

Thanks, I was wondering how to use anticrepuscular in a sentence and this was what I needed.


8 posted on 10/20/2026 12:52:26 PM PDT by BipolarBob
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To: MtnClimber; Deaf Smith

I’m crepussed by that.


9 posted on 10/20/2026 1:00:07 PM PDT by DannyTN
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To: DannyTN

You have been showing indications of “shrouded in twilight”.


10 posted on 10/20/2026 1:04:33 PM PDT by Deaf Smith (When a Texan takes his chances, chances will be taken that's for sure.)
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To: Deaf Smith
Yeah; I can't imagine all those swooning girls running to see a movie named

Crepuscular - Breaking Dawn
TwilightMovie

11 posted on 10/20/2026 1:18:20 PM PDT by MikelTackNailer (Conspiracies are too often facts yet to be confirmed.)
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