Celestial phenomena ... Many people have witnessed unusual phenomena that took place both day and night. All this fascinates those who saw these phenomena and raises a lot of questions and disputes among those who could not do it.
The philosopher of the Middle Ages Thomas Aquinas is absolutely right in his statement: A miracle is a phenomenon that contradicts not the laws of nature, but our idea of \u200b\u200bthese laws.
The 90s of the twentieth century were rich in heavenly phenomena. And in the twentieth century, the century of technogenic progress ...
A lot of people have witnessed unusual phenomena that occurred both day and night. All this fascinates those who saw these phenomena and raises a lot of questions and disputes among those who could not do this.
The medieval philosopher Thomas Aquinas is absolutely right in his statement: "A miracle is a phenomenon that contradicts not the laws of nature, but our idea of \u200b\u200bthese laws."
The 90s of the twentieth century were rich in heavenly phenomena. And in the twentieth century, the century of technogenic progress, all over it ...
In a homogeneous medium, light propagates in a straight line only, and at the border of two media, the light beam is refracted. Such an inhomogeneous medium is, in particular, the air of the earth's atmosphere: its density increases near the earth's surface.
The beam of light is bent, and as a result the luminaries look somewhat displaced, "raised" relative to their true positions in the sky. This phenomenon is called refraction (from Latin refractus - "refracted").
Refraction is especially strong when ...
On December 9, between 7:00 am - 9:00 am local time, an extremely amazing celestial phenomenon occurred over Norway. It is so surprising that it did not make it into the world's news releases, and is now discussed only by eyewitnesses (there are thousands of them) in their blogs.
(One of these eyewitnesses was our reader, Vladimir from Norway, who told us about this and also managed to take several pictures on his mobile phone and kindly sent the pictures to the editorial office). At the moment, the network does not yet have a complete ...
The Celestial Disc from Nebra is one of the most curious and, according to some scholars, controversial archaeological finds recent years... It is a bronze disc dating from 1600 BC. e. It measures 32cm in diameter (roughly the same size as a vinyl record) and weighs about 4 pounds.
The disc is painted blue-green and covered with gold leaf symbols. It contains a crescent moon, a sun (or full moon), stars, an arched border (which is called a solar boat) and ...
For the first time I got acquainted with this amazing phenomenon in 1985 in Moscow. It was a rare success - I was holding in my hands the official report of the Coptic Patriarchate about this phenomenon (with photos !!!), where the Patriarchate confirmed that this phenomenon was not fiction.
Examples were given of phenomenal healings of people from incurable diseases during this phenomenon. To confirm the truth, the following were given: the patient's full name and surname, his place of residence, the exact diagnosis, and also: the full name and surname of the treating person ...
Space and surroundings Solar system saturated with a lot of "heavenly debris". It consists of rock-like debris, ice chunks and frozen gases. These can be asteroids or comets orbiting the Sun in complex orbits.
Their size ranges from a few kilometers to a millimeter. Such celestial objects bombard the Earth every day, and only thanks to the atmosphere they most often burn out, not reaching the surface of the planet.
Throughout history ...
In JANUARY 1995, the German Astronomical Journal published a short message, to which all scientific, religious and popular publications of the planet immediately responded.Each publisher drew the attention of their readers to completely different aspects of this message, but the bottom line boiled down to one thing: the Abode of God was found in the Universe.
After decoding a series of images transmitted from the Hubble telescope on film ...
The new discovery, unveiled this week by NASA, is very important for future lunar explorers: Astronauts may find themselves "crackling from electricity like a sock pulled out of a hot electric dryer," the agency claims ...
Once upon a time, a philosopher said that if the starry sky was visible only in one place on Earth, then crowds of people would continuously move to this place to admire the magnificent sight.
For us, living in the XX century, the spectacle of the starry sky is especially majestic because we know the nature of the stars; after all, each of them is the Sun, that is, a giant incandescent ball of gas.
People did not immediately recognize the true nature of heavenly bodies. Previously, they believed that the Earth is the center of the whole world, the entire universe, and that the stars and other celestial bodies are celestial lamps designed to decorate the sky and illuminate the Earth. But centuries passed, and people, carefully observing various celestial phenomena, eventually came to a modern scientific understanding of the world.
Any science relies in its conclusions on facts, on numerous observations. And everything that will be told later has been received and verified many times by observations of celestial phenomena. To be convinced of this, one must learn to make at least the simplest astronomical observations ourselves. So, let's start our acquaintance with the starry sky.
There are so many stars in the sky on a dark night that it seems that they cannot be counted. However, astronomers have long counted all the stars visible in the sky with a simple, or, as they say, the naked eye. It turned out that on a clear moonless night, about 6,000 stars can be seen with normal vision throughout the sky (including the stars visible in the southern hemisphere).
SHINE OF STARS
Looking at the starry sky, you can see that the stars are different in their brightness, or, as astronomers say, in their apparent brightness.
The brightest stars were agreed to be called stars of the 1st magnitude; those of the stars that are 2.5 times (more precisely, 2.512 times) fainter than stars of the 1st magnitude in terms of their brightness are named stars of the 2nd magnitude. The stars of the 3rd magnitude were assigned those that are 2.5 times fainter than the stars of the 2nd magnitude, and so on. The faintest stars accessible to the naked eye were assigned to the stars of the 6th magnitude. It must be remembered that the name "magnitude" does not indicate the size of the stars, but only their apparent brightness.
You can calculate how many times the stars of the 1st magnitude are brighter than the stars of the 6th magnitude. To do this, you need to take 2.5 by a factor of 5 times. As a result, it turns out that stars of the 1st magnitude are 100 times brighter in brightness of stars of the 6th magnitude. In total, 20 of the brightest stars are observed in the sky, which are usually said to be stars of the 1st magnitude. But this does not mean that they have the same brightness. In fact, some of them are slightly brighter than 1st magnitude, others are somewhat fainter, and only one of them is a star of exactly 1st magnitude. The same situation is with the stars of the 2nd, 3rd and subsequent magnitudes. Therefore, to accurately designate the brightness of a star, one has to resort to fractions. So, for example, those stars, which in their brightness are located in the middle between the stars of the 1st and 2nd magnitude, are considered to belong to the 1.5th magnitude. There are stars with magnitudes 1.6; 2.3; 3.4; 5.5, etc. Several particularly bright stars are visible in the sky, which in their brilliance exceed the brilliance of stars of the 1st magnitude. For these stars, zero and negative stellar magnitudes were introduced. So, for example, the brightest star in the northern hemisphere of the sky - Vega - has a magnitude of 0.1 magnitude, and the brightest star in the entire sky - Sirius - has a magnitude of minus 1.3 magnitude. For all stars visible to the naked eye, and for many weaker stars, their magnitude is accurately measured.
Take ordinary binoculars and look through them at some part of the starry sky. You will see many faint stars that are invisible to the naked eye because the lens (the glass that collects light in binoculars or a telescope) is larger than the pupil of the human eye, and more light enters it.
With ordinary theater binoculars, stars up to magnitude 7 are easily visible, and with prismatic field binoculars, stars up to 9th magnitude. Telescopes show many more dim stars. For example, in a relatively small telescope (with a lens diameter of 80 mm) stars up to 12th magnitude are visible. More powerful modern telescopes can observe stars up to 18th magnitude. In photos taken with largest telescopesstars up to magnitude 23 can be seen. They are 6 million times fainter in brightness of the faintest stars that we see with the naked eye. And if in the sky only about 6,000 stars are available to the naked eye, then billions of stars can be observed in the most powerful modern telescopes.
HOW TO NOTICE THE ROTATION OF THE STARRY SKY
During the day, the sun moves across the sky. It rises, rises higher and higher, then begins to descend and enters. But how do you know if the same stars are visible all night in the sky, or they move, just like the sun moves during the day? It's easy to find out.
Select a location for observation where the sky is clearly visible. Notice which parts of the horizon (houses or trees) the Sun is visible in the morning, at noon and in the evening. Returning to the same location in the evening, notice the brightest stars on the same sides of the sky and note the observation time on the clock. If you arrive at the same place in an hour or two, then make sure that all the stars you see have moved from left to right. So, the star, which was in the direction of the morning Sun, rose higher, and the one that was in the direction of the evening Sun, sank lower.
Do all the stars move across the sky? It turns out that everything, and moreover at the same time. This is easy to verify.
The side where the Sun is visible at noon is called the south, the opposite - the north. Make observations on the north side, first over the stars close to the horizon and then over the higher ones. Then you will see that the higher the stars are from the horizon, the less noticeable their movement becomes. And finally, you can find a star in the sky, the movement of which is almost imperceptible throughout the night. This means that the whole sky moves in such a way that the relative position of the stars on it does not change, but one star is almost motionless, and the closer the stars are to it, the less noticeable their movement is. The whole sky revolves as one whole, revolving around one star; this star was called the Pole Star.
In ancient times, observing the daily rotation of the sky, people made a deeply erroneous conclusion that the stars, the Sun and planets revolve around the Earth every day. In fact, as it was established in the XVI century. Copernicus, the apparent rotation of the starry sky is only a reflection of the daily rotation of the Earth around its axis. But the picture of the apparent diurnal rotation of the sky is of great importance to us: without getting acquainted with it, one cannot even find one or another star in the sky. How the stars actually move and why this movement cannot be noticed even in a telescope will be discussed in the subsequent sections of this book.
HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH THE DAILY ROTATION OF THE SKY
With an ordinary photographic apparatus, you can take a photograph of the rotation of the starry sky. Set the lens of the device to sharpness for very distant objects, which can be done during the day with frosted glass.
When it gets completely dark on a moonless night, you need to insert the cassette and set the device so that it is directed to the North Star (we will tell you below how to find it faster). After pulling out the cassette shutter, open the lens for half an hour or better for an hour, during which the unit must remain stationary. Having developed this plate, you get a negative with a whole series of short dark lines, each of which will be the trail of the image of a star moving along the plate. The larger the lens diameter, the more stars will leave their imprints on the plate. The longer the shooting time, the longer the lines will be and the more noticeable they will be that they are segments of arcs. In addition, these arcs will be the larger, the farther the photographed region of the sky is from the North Star. In the center of all arcs - traces of the movement of stars - and there is a point around which, as it seems to us, the sky revolves. It is called the pole of the world, and the North Star is not far from it, and therefore its trace in the image is visible as a very short and bright arc.
CONSTELLATION OF THE BIG BEAR
The mutual arrangement of the stars, as you already know, does not change. If the most brilliant and closest to each other stars resemble a figure in their location, then they are easy to remember. Such groups of stars were called constellations in ancient times, and each of them was given its own name.
In all constellations, the relative position of the stars does not change, just as the relative position of the constellations themselves does not change. The entire sky, all the constellations revolve around the pole of the world. When we look at the North Star, more precisely at the pole of the world, the direction of our gaze is the direction of the axis of rotation of the starry sky, called the axis of the world.
Constellations in the sky in ancient times were allocated conditionally - on the basis of the apparent proximity of the stars. In fact, two neighboring stars in the same constellation can be removed from us at different distances.
Constellation Big Dipper resembles a ladle or saucepan in the arrangement of its seven brightest stars. This constellation is remarkable in that if you mentally draw a line through the two extreme stars in the "front wall of the bucket" (see Fig.), Then this line will indicate the North Star.
At any time of the night, you can find the Big Dipper in the sky, only at different times of the night and at different times of the year this constellation can be seen either low (at the beginning of the evening in autumn), then high (in summer), then in the eastern side of the sky (in spring), then in the west (late summer). By this constellation you can find the North Star. Under the North Star, the north point is always and everywhere on the horizon. If you look at the North Star, then the face will be turned to the north, behind the back there will be south, to the right - east, to the left - west.
The constellation Ursa Major needs to be known not only to find the north point on the horizon, but also to start searching for all other constellations.
So, find in the sky a characteristic bucket of seven stars, which is part of the constellation Ursa Major. The constellation itself is not limited to just these seven stars. The ladle and the handle of the ladle are only a part of the body and tail of the imaginary figure of the Big Dipper, which in ancient times was drawn on star maps. The front of the torso and face of the Dipper is to the right of the bucket when the bucket handle is facing left. They, like the paws of the Big Dipper, are formed by many faint stars of 3rd, 4th and 5th magnitude.
In each constellation, the bright stars are indicated by the letters of the Greek alphabet: α (alpha), β (beta), γ (gamma), δ (delta), ε (epsilon), ζ (zeta), η (eta), θ (theta), ι (iota), κ (kappa), λ (lambda), μ (mi), ν (ni), ξ (xi), ο (omicron), π (pi), ρ (po), σ (sigma), τ (tau), υ (upsilon), φ (phi), χ (chi), ψ (psi), ω (omega).
The stars of the Big Dipper bucket have the designations indicated on the map (see above). All these stars, except for δ (delta) - 2nd magnitude (δ (delta) - 3rd magnitude); of these, the middle star in the bucket handle is especially interesting. In addition to the letter designation, it also bears a special name - Mizar. Near it, with the naked eye, you can see a faint 5th-magnitude star, called Alcor.
Mizar and Alkor are the most easily observable. It was known even to the ancient Arab astronomers, who assigned their names to the stars that make up this pair. Translated from arabic these names mean "Horse" (Mizar) and "Rider" (Alkor).
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Answers and evaluation criteria
Exercise 1
The photographs show various celestial phenomena. Indicate what for
the phenomenon is depicted in each picture, bearing in mind that the pictures are not
inverted, and observations were made from the middle latitudes of the North
hemisphere of the Earth.
All-Russian Olympiad schoolchildren in astronomy 2016–2017 academic year g.
Municipal stage. 8-9 grades
Answers Please note that the question asks about what phenomenon is shown in the picture (and not the object!). Based on this, the assessment is made.
1) meteor (1 point; “meteorite” or “fireball” are not counted);
2) meteor shower (another option is “meteor shower”) (1 point);
3) covering Mars by the Moon (another option is “covering the planet by the Moon”) (1 point);
4) sunset (1 point);
5) the covering of the star by the Moon (the short version “covering” is possible) (1 point);
6) the setting of the Moon (the possible answer is “neomenia” - the first appearance of the young Moon in the sky after the new moon) (1 point);
7) annular solar eclipse (a short version "solar eclipse" is possible) (1 point);
8) moon eclipse (1 point);
9) the opening of the star by the Moon (the option “end of coverage” is possible) (1 point);
10) total solar eclipse (the variant "solar eclipse" is possible) (1 point);
11) the passage of Venus across the disk of the Sun (the option “the passage of Mercury along the disk of the Sun” or “the passage of the planet along the disk of the Sun” is possible) (1 point);
12) ash light of the moon (1 point).
Note: all valid answer choices are written in brackets.
The maximum for a task is 12 points.
Task 2 The figures show the figures of several constellations. Each figure has its number underneath. Indicate the name of each constellation in the answer (write down the pairs "figure number - name in Russian").
2 All-Russian Olympiad in Astronomy for Schoolchildren 2016–2017 academic year g.
Municipal stage. Grades 8-9 Answers
1) Swan (1 point);
2) Orion (1 point);
3) Hercules (1 point);
4) Ursa Major (1 point);
5) Cassiopeia (1 point);
6) Leo (1 point);
7) Lyra (1 point);
8) Cepheus (1 point);
9) Eagle (1 point).
The maximum for a task is 9 points.
3 All-Russian Olympiad in Astronomy for Schoolchildren 2016–2017 academic year g.
Municipal stage. Grades 8-9 Task 3 Draw the correct sequence of the change of the lunar phases (it is enough to draw the main phases) when observing from the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth. Sign their names. Start the drawing with a full moon, shade parts of the moon that are not illuminated by the Sun.
One of the possible variants of the picture (2 points for the correct variant):
The main phases are usually considered the full moon, the last quarter, the new moon, the first quarter (3 points). The phases of the moon are listed here in the order in which they are shown in the figure.
In the absence of one of the phases in the figure, 1 point is removed. For the erroneous indication of the name of the phase, 1 point is deducted. The score for a task cannot be negative.
When evaluating a drawing, one must pay attention to the fact that the terminator (the light / dark boundary on the surface of the Moon) passes through the poles of the Moon (that is, it is unacceptable to draw a phase like a "bitten off apple"). If this is not the case in the answer, the mark is reduced by 1 point.
Note: the solution contains the minimum version of the figure. It is not necessary to draw the moon again at the end with a full moon.
The image of intermediate phases is acceptable:
The maximum for the task is 5 points.
4 All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren in astronomy 2016–2017 academic year g.
Municipal stage. Grades 8-9 Task 4 Mars, in the eastern quadrature, and the Moon are observed in conjunction. What is the phase of the moon at this moment? Explain the answer, give a figure, which depict the described situation.
Answer The figure shows the positions of all bodies participating in the described situation (such a figure should be given in the work: 3 points). With this position of the Moon relative to the Earth and the Sun, the first quarter (the growing Moon) will be observed (2 points).
Note: the figure may be slightly different (for example, the type of relative position of the luminaries in the sky for an observer on the Earth's surface), the main thing is that the relative position of the bodies is indicated correctly and it is clear why the Moon will be exactly in the phase that is given in the answer.
The maximum for a task is 5 points.
Task 5 With what average speed does the day / night boundary move along the surface of the Moon (R \u003d 1738 km) in the region of its equator? Express your answer in km / h and round to the nearest whole.
For reference: the synodic period of the Moon's revolution (the period of changing the lunar phases) is approximately 29.5 days, the sidereal period of revolution (the period of the axial rotation of the Moon) is approximately 27.3 days.
Answer The length of the Moon's equator is L \u003d 2R 2 1738 3.14 \u003d 10 920.2 km (1 point). To solve the problem, it is necessary to use the value of the synodic period 5 All-Russian Olympiad in Astronomy for Schoolchildren 2016–2017 academic year. g.
Municipal stage. 8-9 classes of circulation, because not only the rotation of the Moon around its axis, but also the position of the Sun relative to the Moon, which changes due to the movement of the Earth in its orbit, is responsible for the movement of the day / night boundary on the surface of the Moon. The lunar phase change period is P 29.5 days. \u003d 708 h (2 points - if there is no explanation why this particular period was used; 4 points - if there is a correct explanation; 1 point for using the sidereal period). This means that the speed will be V \u003d L / P \u003d 10 920.2 / 708 km / h 15 km / h (1 point; this point is given for calculating the speed, including when using the value 27.3 - the answer will be 16 , 7 km / h).
Note: the solution can be done in one line. At the same time, the score does not decrease. For an answer without a decision, the score is 1 point.
Task 6 Are there regions on Earth (if so, where are they located), where at some point in time all the zodiacal constellations are on the horizon?
Answer As you know, constellations are called zodiacal constellations along which the Sun passes, that is, which crosses the ecliptic. This means that you need to determine where and when the ecliptic coincides with the horizon. At this moment, not only the planes of the horizon and the ecliptic will coincide, but also the poles of the ecliptic with the zenith and nadir. That is, at this moment one of the poles of the ecliptic passes through the zenith. The coordinates of the north pole of the ecliptic (see.
picture):
90 ° 66.5 ° and south, because it is at the opposite point:
90 ° 66.5 ° A point with a declination of ± 66.5 ° culminates at the zenith of the Arctic Circle (North or South) :.
Of course, deviations from the polar circle by several degrees are possible, since.
constellations are fairly extended objects.
The score for the problem (complete solution - 6 points) consists of the correct explanation of the condition (the culmination of the ecliptic pole at the zenith, or, for example, the simultaneous upper and lower culmination of two opposite points 6 All-Russian Olympiad in Astronomy for Schoolchildren 2016–2017 academic year)
Municipal stage. 8-9 grades of the ecliptic on the horizon), in which the described situation is possible (3 points), the correct determination of the observation latitude (2 points), an indication that there will be two such areas - in the Northern and Southern hemispheres of the Earth (1 point).
Note: it is not necessary to determine the coordinates of the poles of the ecliptic, as is done in the solution (you can know them). Let us assume a different course of solution.
Maximum for a task is 6 points.
- & nbsp– & nbsp–
Option 2 You can not immediately substitute numerical values \u200b\u200bin the formulas, but transform them by expressing the period of revolution through the average density of the Moon (the density value is not given in the condition, but the student can calculate or know it - an approximate value of 3300 kg / m3):
- & nbsp– & nbsp–
(here M is the mass of the Sun, m is the mass of the satellite, Tz, mz and az are the period of the Earth's revolution around the Sun, the mass of the Earth and the radius of the Earth's orbit, respectively).
It is possible to write this law for another set of bodies, for example, for the Earth-Moon system (instead of the Sun-Earth system).
Neglecting small masses compared to large ones, we get:
- & nbsp– & nbsp–
And the period of the appearance of the station near the limb will be half the orbital:
Assessment Other solutions are also acceptable. All solution options should lead to the same answers (some deviations are allowed due to the fact that in options 2 and 3, as well as in other options, slightly different numerical values \u200b\u200bmay be used).
Variants 1 and 2. Determination of the satellite orbit length (2Rl 10,920 km) - 1 point; determination of the satellite's orbital speed Vl - 2 points; computation 8 All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren in astronomy 2016–2017 academic year g.
Municipal stage. 8-9 grades of the circulation period - 1 point; finding the answer (dividing the orbital period by 2) - 2 points.
Option 3. Writing Kepler's third law in a refined form for the bodies participating in the problem - 2 points (if the law is written in general form and the solution ends there - 1 point).
Correct neglect of small masses (i.e., the mass of the satellite in comparison with the mass of the Moon, the mass of the Earth in comparison with the mass of the Sun, the mass of the Moon in comparison with the mass of the Earth) - 1 point (these masses can be immediately omitted in the formula, a point for all this equally exposed). Writing the expression for the satellite period - 1 point, finding the answer (dividing the orbital period by 2) - 2 points.
For exceeding the accuracy in the final answer (the number of decimal places is more than two), 1 point is removed.
Note: it is possible not to neglect the orbital altitude in comparison with the radius of the Moon (the numerical answer will practically not change). It is allowed to immediately use the ready-made formula for the circulation period (the last form of writing the formula in the solution in option 2) - the score for this does not decrease (with correct calculations - 4 points for this stage of the solution).
Maximum for a task is 6 points.
Task 8 Suppose scientists have created a stationary Large Polar Telescope to observe the diurnal rotation of stars directly near the pole of the world, directing its tube exactly to the north pole of the world. At the exact center of their field of view, they found a Very Interesting Extragalactic Source. This telescope has a field of view of 10 arc minutes. In how many years will scientists no longer be able to observe this Source with this telescope?
Answer The pole of the world revolves around the pole of the ecliptic with a period of approximately Tp 26,000 years (1 point). The angular distance between these poles (2 points) is nothing more than 23.5 ° (that is, 90 ° is the angle of inclination of the Earth's axis of rotation to the plane of the ecliptic). Since the pole of the world moves in a small circle celestial sphere, the angular velocity of its movement relative to the observer will be less than the angular velocity of rotation of a point on the celestial equator by 1 / sin () times (2 points).
Since initially the telescope looks exactly at the pole of the world and at the Source, the maximum possible observation time for the Source is
15 years old (3 points).
° After this time, the Source will leave the telescope's field of view (the pole of the world will remain in the center of the field, since the telescope on Earth is stationary, 9 All-Russian Olympiad for Schoolchildren in Astronomy 2016–2017 academic year)
Municipal stage. 8-9 grades being initially directed to the pole of the world; recall that the pole of the world is essentially the point of intersection of the continuation of the Earth's axis of rotation with the celestial sphere).
If in the final answer the student does not share the position of the pole of the world and the Source, then with the correct numerical answer, no more than 6 points are given.
Note: You can use cos (90-) or cos (66.5 °) instead of sin () throughout the solution. Other solutions to the problem are possible.
The maximum for the task is 8 points.
Many people like funny pictures that trick their visual perception. But did you know that nature also knows how to create optical illusions? Moreover, they look much more impressive than those made by man. These include dozens of natural phenomena and formations, both rare and fairly widespread. Northern lights, halo, green ray, lenticular clouds - only a small part of them. For your attention - 25 stunning optical illusions created by nature.
Fire waterfall "Horse tail"
Every February, streams turn a fiery orange
This beautiful and at the same time intimidating waterfall is located in the central part of Yosemite National Park. It is called Horsetail Fall (translated as "horse tail"). Every year for 4-5 days in February, tourists can see a rare phenomenon - the rays of the setting sun are reflected in the falling streams of water. At these moments, the waterfall turns into a fiery orange color. It seems that hot lava flows from the top of the mountain, but this is just an optical illusion.
The Horse Tail waterfall consists of two cascading streams, its total height reaches 650 meters.
False Sun
Real Sun and two false
If the Sun is low above the horizon and microscopic ice crystals are present in the atmosphere, observers may notice several bright iridescent specks to the right and left of the Sun. These bizarre halos faithfully follow our luminary across the firmament, in whatever direction it is directed.
In principle, this atmospheric phenomenon is considered to be quite common, but the effect is difficult to notice.
It is interesting: On the rare occasion that sunlight passes through cirrus clouds at the correct angle, these two spots become as bright as the Sun itself.
The effect is best observed in the early morning or late evening in the polar regions.
Fata Morgana
Fata morgana - the rarest optical illusion
Fata morgana is a complex optical atmospheric phenomenon. It is extremely rare. In fact, Fata Morgana "consists" of several forms of mirages, due to which distant objects are distorted and "bifurcated" for the observer.
It is known that Fata Morgana occurs when several alternating layers of air with different densities are formed in the lower atmosphere (usually due to temperature differences). Under certain conditions, they give mirror reflections.
Due to the reflection and refraction of light rays, real-life objects can create several distorted images on the horizon or even above it at once, which partially overlap each other and rapidly change over time, thereby creating a striking picture of Fata Morgana.
Light pole
A pillar of light emanating from the sun descending beyond the horizon
We become witnesses of light (or solar) pillars quite often. This is the name of a common type of halo. This optical effect appears as a vertical streak of light that extends from the sun at sunset or sunrise. A pillar of light can be observed when light in the atmosphere bounces off the surface of tiny ice crystals in the form of ice plates or miniature 6-sided rods. Crystals of this shape are most often formed in high cirrostratus clouds. But if the air temperature is low enough, they can appear in less high layers of the atmosphere. We do not think it is worth explaining why light columns are most often observed in winter.
Broken ghost
Under certain conditions, the shadow can look like a ghost.
When there is a thick fog outside, you can observe an interesting optical phenomenon - the so-called Broken ghost. To do this, you just need to turn your back to the main light source. The observer will be able to see his own shadow lying on the fog (or cloud if you are in a mountainous area).
It is interesting: If the light source, as well as the object on which the shadow is cast, are static, it will repeat any movement of the person. But in a completely different way, the shadow will be displayed on a moving "surface" (for example, on fog). In such conditions, it can oscillate, creating the illusion that the dark, foggy silhouette is moving. It seems that this is not a shadow belonging to the observer, but a real ghost.
Atlantic road in Norway
There are probably no more scenic highways in the world than the Atlantic Road, located in the Norwegian region of Møre og Romsdal.
A unique highway runs across the north coast Atlantic Ocean and includes as many as 12 bridges connecting individual islands with a road surface.
The most amazing place on the Atlantic Road is the Storseisundet Bridge. From a certain angle, it may seem that it is not completed, and all passing cars, going up, approach the cliff, and then fall down.
The total length of this bridge, opened in 1989, is 8.3 kilometers.
In 2005, the Atlantic Road was named “Norway's Building of the Century”. And the journalists of the British edition of The Guardian awarded it the title of the best tourist route in this northern country.
Moon illusion
The Moon above the horizon seems to be large.
When the full moon bends low on the horizon, it is visually much larger than when high in the sky. This phenomenon is seriously puzzling thousands of inquisitive minds trying to find some reasonable explanation for it. But in reality this is a common illusion.
The most straightforward way to confirm the illusion of this effect is to hold a small, rounded object (for example, a coin) in your outstretched hand. Comparing the size of this object with the "huge" Moon near the horizon and the "tiny" Moon in the sky, you will be surprised, because you will understand that its relative size does not undergo any changes. You can also roll up a piece of paper in the shape of a tube and look through the hole formed exclusively at the Moon, without any objects surrounding it. Again, the illusion will disappear.
It is interesting: Most scientists, explaining the Lunar illusion, refer to the theory “ relative size". It is known that visual perception of dimensions human visible an object is determined by the dimensions of other objects observed by it at the same time. When the Moon is low above the horizon, other objects (houses, trees, etc.) fall into the field of view of a person. Against their background, our night star seems larger than it actually is.
Shadows of the clouds
Cloud shadows look like small islands
On a sunny day, it is very interesting to observe the shadows cast by clouds on the surface of our planet from a great height. They resemble small, constantly moving islands in the ocean. Unfortunately, ground observers will not be able to appreciate the magnificence of this picture.
Moth Atlas
Moth Atlas
Huge moth atlas is found in rainforest in the South of Asia. It is this insect that holds the record for wing surface area (400 square centimeters). In India, this moth is bred to produce silk threads. The gigantic insect produces brown silk that looks like wool.
Due to their large size, atlas moths fly disgustingly, moving slowly and awkwardly in the air. But the unique coloring of their wings helps to camouflage in their natural habitat. Thanks to her, the atlas literally merges with the trees.
Dew on the web
Dew on the web
In the morning or after rain, tiny drops of water can be seen on the cobwebs, resembling a necklace. If the web is very thin, the observer may have an illusion that the drops literally float in the air. And in the cold season, the cobweb can be covered with frost or frozen dew, such a picture looks no less impressive.
Green ray
Green ray
A short-term flash of green light, observed an instant before the appearance of the solar disk from the horizon (most often at sea) or at the moment when the sun is hiding behind it, is called a green ray.
It is possible to witness this amazing phenomenon if three conditions are met: the horizon must be open (steppe, tundra, sea, mountainous terrain), the air must be clean, and the region of sunset or sunrise must be free of clouds.
As a rule, the green beam is visible no more than 2-3 seconds. To significantly increase the time interval of its observation at the time of sunset, immediately after the appearance of the green ray, you need to quickly run up the earthen embankment or climb the stairs. If the Sun rises, you need to move in the opposite direction, that is, down.
It is interesting: During one of the flights over the South Pole, the famous American pilot Richard Byrd saw a green ray for 35 minutes! A unique event occurred at the end of the polar night, when the upper edge of the solar disk first appeared over the horizon and slowly moved along it. It is known that at the poles the solar disk moves almost horizontally: the speed of its vertical rise is very low.
Physicists attribute the effect of the green ray to the refraction (i.e., refraction) of sunlight as it passes through the atmosphere. Interestingly, at the time of sunset or sunrise, we should have seen blue or purple rays first. But their wavelength is so small that when passing through the atmosphere, they are almost completely scattered and do not reach the terrestrial observer.
The peri-zenith arch
The peri-zenith arch
In fact, the zenith arc looks like a rainbow turned upside down. To some people, it even resembles a huge multi-colored smiley in the sky. This phenomenon is formed due to the refraction of the sun's rays passing through the ice crystals of a certain shape soaring in the clouds. The arc centers at the zenith parallel to the horizon. The top color of this rainbow is blue, the bottom color is red.
Halo
Halo around the moon
Halo is one of the most famous optical phenomena, observing which a person can see a luminous ring around a powerful light source.
During the day, the halo appears around the Sun, at night - around the Moon or other sources, for example, street lamps. There are a huge number of types of halo (one of them is the illusion of a false sun mentioned above). Almost all halos are caused by the refraction of light as it passes through ice crystals, which are concentrated in cirrus clouds (located in the upper troposphere). The type of halo is determined by the shape and arrangement of these miniature crystals.
Pink glare of the Sun
Pink glare of the Sun
Probably every inhabitant of our planet saw a pink glow. This interesting phenomenon occurs when the sun sets over the horizon. Then mountains or other vertical objects (for example, multi-storey buildings) are painted in a pale pink shade for a short time.
Twilight rays
Twilight rays
Scientists call twilight rays a common optical phenomenon that looks like an alternation of many light and dark stripes in the sky. Moreover, all these stripes diverge from the current location of the Sun.
Twilight rays are one of the manifestations of the play of light and shadow. We are sure that the air is completely transparent, and the rays of light that pass through it are invisible. But in the presence of the smallest droplets of water or dust particles in the atmosphere, sunlight is scattered. A whitish haze forms in the air. It is almost invisible in clear weather. But in cloudy conditions, dust or water particles that are in the shadow of clouds are less illuminated. Therefore, shaded areas are perceived by observers as dark stripes. Well-lit areas alternating with them, on the contrary, seem to us to be bright light stripes.
A similar effect is observed when the sun's rays, breaking through the cracks into a dark room, form bright light paths, illuminating dust particles floating in the air.
It is interesting: Twilight rays are called differently in different countries. The Germans use the expression "The sun is drinking water", the Dutch - "The sun is on its legs", and the British call the twilight rays "Jacob's ladder" or "the ladder of angels".
Anti-twilight rays
Anti-twilight rays emanate from a point on the horizon opposite the setting sun
These rays are observed at the time of sunset on the eastern side of the sky. They, like the twilight rays, fan out, the only difference between them is their location relative to the celestial body.
It may seem that the anti-twilight rays converge at some point beyond the horizon, but this is only an illusion. In fact, the rays of the Sun propagate strictly along straight lines, but when these lines are projected onto the spherical atmosphere of the Earth, arcs are formed. That is, the illusion of their fan-shaped divergence is determined by the perspective.
Northern Lights
Northern lights in the night sky
The sun is very unstable. Sometimes powerful explosions occur on its surface, after which they are directed towards the Earth at great speed. tiny particles solar matter (solar wind). It takes them about 30 hours to reach Earth.
The magnetic field of our planet deflects these particles to the poles, as a result of which extensive magnetic storms begin there. Proton and electrons entering the ionosphere from outer space interact with it. The thin layers of the atmosphere begin to glow. The whole sky is painted with multi-colored dynamically moving patterns: arcs, bizarre lines, crowns and spots.
It is interesting: You can observe the northern lights in high latitudes of each hemisphere (therefore, it would be more correct to call this phenomenon "aurora borealis"). The geography of the places where people can contemplate this impressive natural phenomenon expands significantly only during periods of high solar activity. Surprisingly, there are also auroras on other planets in our solar system.
The shapes and colors of the colorful glow of the night sky change rapidly. Interestingly, the auroras occur exclusively in the altitude intervals from 80 to 100 and from 400 to 1000 kilometers above ground level.
Krushinnitsa
Buckthorn is a butterfly with incredibly realistic natural camouflage
At the beginning of April, when the weather is stable and warm and sunny, you can see a beautiful light spot flitting from one spring flower to another. This is a butterfly called buckthorn or lemongrass.
The wingspan of the buckthorn is about 6 centimeters, the length of the wings is from 2.7 to 3.3 centimeters. Interestingly, the colors of males and females are different. Males have bright greenish lemon wings, and females are lighter, almost white.
Krušinitsa has amazingly realistic natural camouflage. It is very difficult to distinguish it from plant leaves.
Magnetic hill
Cars seem to roll uphill under the influence of an unknown force
There is a hill in Canada where extraordinary things happen. Having parked the car near its foot and engaging in neutral, you will see that the car begins to roll (without any help) up, that is, in the direction of the rise. Many people attribute the amazing phenomenon to the effect of an incredibly powerful magnetic force that makes cars roll uphill and reach speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour.
Unfortunately, there is no magnetism or magic here. It's all about the usual optical illusion. Due to the features of the relief, a small slope (about 2.5 degrees) is perceived by the observer as an ascent upward.
The main factor in creating a similar illusion, observed in many other places in the world, is zero or minimal visibility of the horizon. If a person does not see it, then it becomes quite difficult to judge the inclination of the surface. Even objects, in most cases located perpendicular to the ground (for example, trees), can lean in any direction, misleading the observer even more.
Salt deserts
It seems like all these people are floating in the sky.
Salt deserts are found in all corners of the Earth. People in the middle of them have a distorted perception of space due to the lack of any reference points.
In the photo you can see a dry salt lake located in the southern part of the Altiplano Plain (Bolivia) and called the Uyuni Salt Flats. This place is located at an altitude of 3.7 kilometers above sea level, and its total area exceeds 10.5 thousand square kilometers. Uyuni is the largest salt marsh on our planet.
The most common minerals found here are halite and gypsum. And the thickness of the salt layer on the surface of the salt marsh in some places reaches 8 meters. The total salt reserves are estimated at 10 billion tons. On the territory of Uyuni there are several hotels built from salt blocks. Furniture and other interior items are also made from it. And on the walls of the rooms there are announcements: the administration politely asks guests not to lick anything. By the way, you can spend the night in such hotels for only $ 20.
It is interesting: During the rainy season, Uyuni is covered with a thin layer of water, making it the largest mirror surface on Earth. In the midst of an infinite mirror space, observers have the impression that they are soaring in the sky or even on another planet.
Wave
Sand dunes turned to stone
The Wave is a naturally formed sand and rock gallery located on the border of the US states of Utah and Arizona. Popular US national parks are located nearby, so the Wave attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.
Scientists claim that these unique rocky formations were formed for more than one million years: sand dunes gradually hardened under the influence of environmental conditions. And the wind and rain long time influencing these formations, polished their forms and gave them such an unusual appearance.
Apache head
It's hard to believe that this rocky formation formed without human intervention
This natural rock formation in France vividly illustrates our ability to recognize familiar shapes, such as human faces, in surrounding objects. Scientists recently found out that we even have a special part of the brain that is responsible for recognizing faces. It is interesting that the visual perception of a person is arranged in such a way that any objects similar in outlines to faces are noticed by us faster than other visual stimuli.
There are hundreds of natural formations in the world that exploit this human ability. But you must agree: the mountain range in the shape of the head of an Apache Indian is probably the most striking of them. By the way, tourists who had the opportunity to contemplate this unusual rocky formation, located in the French Alps, cannot believe that it was formed without human intervention.
Wasteland Guard
An Indian in a traditional headdress and headphones in his ears - where else can you see that?
Wasteland Sentinel (also known as "Indian Head") is a unique geoformation located near the Canadian city of Madisen Hat (southeastern part of the province of Alberta). When looking at it from a great height, it becomes obvious that the relief of the area forms the outlines of the head of a local aboriginal in a traditional Indian headdress, staring somewhere to the west. Moreover, this Indian also listens to modern headphones.
In fact, what looks like a wire from a headphone is a path leading to an oil rig, and the liner is the well itself. The height of the "Indian head" is 255 meters, the width is 225 meters. For comparison: the height of the famous bas-relief in Mount Rushmore, on which the faces of four American presidents are carved, is only 18 meters.
Wasteland Warden was formed naturally by the weathering and erosion of soft clay-rich soil. According to scientists, the age of this geoformation does not exceed 800 years.
Lenticular (lenticular) clouds
Lenticular clouds look like huge UFOs
A unique feature of lenticular clouds is that no matter how strong the wind is, they remain stationary. Air currents sweeping over the earth's surface flow around obstacles, due to which air waves are formed. On their edges lenticular clouds are formed. In their lower part, there is a continuous process of condensation of water vapor rising from the surface of the earth. Therefore, lenticular clouds do not change their position. They just hover in the sky in one place.
Lenticular clouds most often form on the leeward side of mountain ranges or over individual peaks at an altitude of 2 to 15 kilometers. In most cases, their appearance signals an approaching atmospheric front.
It is interesting: Due to their unusual shape and absolute immobility, people often mistake lenticular clouds for UFOs.
Thunderbolt clouds
Such a sight inspires fear, agree!
Creepy clouds with a thunderstorm are seen quite often in flat areas. They sink very low above the ground. There is a feeling that if you go up to the roof of the building, you can reach them with your hand. And sometimes it may seem that such clouds are in general contact with the surface of the earth.
A storm shaft (another name is a squall gate) is visually similar to a tornado. Fortunately, in comparison with this natural phenomenon, it is not so dangerous. A thunderstorm is simply a low, horizontally oriented area of \u200b\u200ba thundercloud. It is formed in its front part with fast movement. And the squall gate acquires an even and smooth shape under conditions of active ascending air movement. Such clouds, as a rule, form during the warm season (from mid-spring to mid-autumn). Interestingly, the life span of thunderstorms is very short - from 30 minutes to 3 hours.
Agree, many of the phenomena listed above seem truly magical, even though their mechanisms can be easily explained from a scientific point of view. Nature, without the slightest human participation, creates amazing optical illusions that amaze the imagination of even researchers who have seen many things in their lifetime. How can you not admire her greatness and power?
We present to you a selection of 20 of the most beautiful natural phenomena associated with the play of light. Truly, natural phenomena are indescribable - this is a must see! \u003d)
Let's conditionally divide all light metamorphoses into three subgroups. The first is Water and Ice, the second is Rays and Shadows, and the third is Contrasts of Light.
Water and Ice
"Near-horizontal arc"
This phenomenon is also known as the “fire rainbow”. Created in the sky when light refracts through ice crystals in cirrus clouds. This phenomenon is very rare, since both ice crystals and the sun must rise exactly along a horizontal line for such a spectacular refraction to occur. This particularly successful example was captured in the skies over Spokane in Washington in 2006.
A couple more examples of a fiery rainbow
When the sun shines on a climber or other object from above, a shadow is projected onto the fog, creating a curiously enlarged triangular shape. This effect is accompanied by a kind of halo around the object - colored circles of light that appear directly in front of the sun when sunlight is reflected by a cloud of identical water droplets. This natural phenomenon received its name due to the fact that it was most often observed precisely on the low German peaks of Brocken, which are quite accessible for climbers, due to frequent fogs in this area.
In a nutshell - this is a rainbow upside down \u003d) Such a huge multi-colored smile in the sky) It turns out such a miracle due to the refraction of sunlight through horizontal ice crystals in clouds of a certain shape. The phenomenon is concentrated at the zenith, parallel to the horizon, the color range is from blue at the zenith to red towards the horizon. This phenomenon is always in the form of an incomplete circular arc; a full circle in a situation like this is the extremely rare Footman's Arc, which was first captured on film in 2007
Foggy arc
This strange halo was seen from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco - it looked like a completely white rainbow. Like a rainbow, this phenomenon is created due to the refraction of light through water droplets in the clouds, but, unlike a rainbow, due to the small size of the fog droplets, the color seems to be lacking. Therefore, the rainbow turns out to be colorless - just white) Sailors often refer to them as "sea wolves" or "foggy arcs"
Rainbow halo
When the light is scattered back (a mixture of reflection, refraction and diffraction) - back to its source, water droplets in clouds, the object's shadow between the cloud and the source can be divided into colored stripes. Glory is also translated as unearthly beauty - a fairly accurate name for such a beautiful natural phenomenon) In some parts of China, this phenomenon is even called the Light of Buddha - it is often accompanied by the Ghost of Broken. In the photo, beautiful colored stripes effectively surround the shadow of the plane in front of the cloud
Halos are one of the most famous and frequent optical phenomena, they appear under a variety of guises. The most common phenomenon is the solar halo phenomenon, caused by the refraction of light by ice crystals in cirrus clouds at high altitudes, and the specific shape and orientation of the crystals can create a change in the appearance of the halo. During very cold weather, the halos formed by crystals next to the ground reflect sunlight between them, sending it in multiple directions at once - this effect is known as "diamond dust"
When the sun is at exactly the right angle behind the clouds, the water droplets in them refract the light, creating an intense trailing plume. Coloring, as in a rainbow, is caused by different wavelengths of light - different wavelengths are refracted to varying degrees, changing the angle of refraction and therefore the color of light in our perception. In this photo, the iridescence of the cloud is accompanied by a sharply colored rainbow.
A few more photos of this phenomenon
The combination of a low moon and a dark sky often creates moon arcs, essentially rainbows, produced by the light of the moon. Appearing at the opposite end of the sky to the moon, they usually appear completely white due to the faint coloration, however long exposure photography can capture true colors, as in this photo taken in Yosemite National Park, California.
A few more photos of the lunar rainbow
This phenomenon appears as a white ring surrounding the sky, always at the same height above the horizon as the Sun. Usually, only fragments of the whole picture can be captured. Millions of vertically spaced ice crystals reflect the sun's rays across the sky to create this beautiful phenomenon.
False Suns often appear on the sides of the resulting sphere, as, for example, in this photo
Rainbows can take many forms: multiple arcs, intersecting arcs, red arcs, identical arcs, arcs with colored edges, dark stripes, "spokes" and many others, but they are all divided into colors - red, orange, yellow , green, cyan, blue and purple. Remember from childhood the "memory" of the arrangement of flowers in the rainbow - Every Hunter Wants to Know Where the Pheasant Sits? \u003d) Rainbows appear when light refracts through water droplets in the atmosphere, most often during rain, but haze or fog can also create similar effects and are much rarer than one might imagine. At all times, many different cultures attributed many meanings and explanations to rainbows, for example, the ancient Greeks believed that rainbows were the road to heaven, and the Irish believed that in the place where the rainbow ends - the leprechaun buried his pot of gold \u003d)
More information and beautiful photos on the rainbow can be found
Rays and Shadows
A corona is a type of plasma atmosphere that surrounds an astronomical body. The most famous example of such a phenomenon is the corona around the Sun during a total eclipse. It extends thousands of kilometers in space and contains ionized iron heated to nearly a million degrees Celsius. During an eclipse, its bright light surrounds the darkened sun and it seems as if a crown of light appears around the star
When darkened areas or water-permeable obstacles, such as tree branches or clouds, filter the sun's ray, the rays form entire columns of light, emanating from a single source in the sky. Often used in horror films, this phenomenon is usually observed at sunrise or sunset and can even be witnessed under the ocean if the sun's rays pass through streaks of broken ice. This beautiful photo was taken in Utah National Park.
Some more examples
Fata morgana
The interaction between cold air near ground level and warm air just above it can act as a refractive lens and turn upside down images of objects on the horizon over which the actual image appears to wobble. In this picture taken in Thuringia, Germany, the horizon in the distance seems to have disappeared altogether, although the blue section of the road is just a reflection of the sky above the horizon. The assertion that mirages are completely non-existent images that only appear to people lost in the desert is incorrect, probably confused with the effects of extreme dehydration that can cause hallucinations. Mirages are always based on real objects, although it is true that they can appear closer due to the mirage effect
The reflection of light by ice crystals with nearly perfectly horizontal flat surfaces creates a strong beam. The light source can be the Sun, the Moon, or even artificial light. An interesting feature is that the pillar will have the color of this source. In this photo, taken in Finland, orange sunlight at sunset creates an equally gorgeous orange pillar.
A couple more "solar pillars")
Light contrasts
The collision of charged particles in the upper atmosphere often creates magnificent light patterns in the polar regions. The color depends on the elemental content of the particles - most auroras appear green or red due to oxygen, however nitrogen sometimes creates a deep blue or violet appearance. The photo shows the famous Aurora Borilis or the Northern Lights, named after the Roman goddess of dawn Aurora and the ancient Greek god of the north wind Boreas
And this is how the Northern Lights look from space
Condensation (inversion) trace
Steam trails that follow an airplane across the sky are some of the most stunning examples of human interference in the atmosphere. They are created either by aircraft exhaust or air vortices from the wings and only appear in cold temperatures at high altitude, condensing into ice droplets and water. In this photo, a bunch of contrails crisscross the sky, creating a bizarre example of this unnatural phenomenon.
High-altitude winds distort rocket tracks, and their small exhaust particles transform sunlight into bright iridescent colors, which sometimes the same winds carry thousands of kilometers until they finally dissipate. In the photo - traces of the Minotaur rocket launched from the US Air Force base in Vandenberg, California
The sky, like many other things around us, scatters polarized light that has a specific electromagnetic orientation. Polarization is always perpendicular directly to the light path and if there is only one direction of polarization in the light, they say that the light is linearly polarized. This photo was taken with a wide-angle polarized filter lens to show how spectacular the electromagnetic charge in the sky looks. Pay attention to what shade the sky is near the horizon, and what is at the very top.
Technically invisible to the naked eye, this phenomenon can be captured by leaving the camera for at least an hour or even overnight with the lens open. The natural rotation of the Earth causes the stars in the sky to move across the horizon, creating wonderful trails behind them. The only star in the evening sky that is always in one place is, of course, the Polar one, since it is actually on the same axis with the Earth and its fluctuations are noticeable only at the North Pole. The same would be true in the south, but there is no star bright enough to observe a similar effect.
And here is a photo from the pole)
A faint triangular light seen in the evening sky and extending towards the heavens, the zodiacal light is easily obscured by light pollution or moonlight. This phenomenon is caused by the reflection of sunlight from dust particles in space, known as cosmic dust, hence its spectrum is absolutely identical to that of the solar system. Solar radiation causes dust particles to slowly grow, creating a majestic constellation of lights gracefully scattered across the sky
