What are Anticrepuscular Rays?
If there was no atmosphere the daytime sky would like the nighttime one, but with a fiercely bright star where the sun was. Air is…
Tag: sunset
Why does the Gnomon on a Sundial Point South?
The pointy bit of a sundial is called a ‘gnomon’. It is the part that casts the shadow and in the northern hemisphere it points…
The Darkest Two Months of the Year
The sun is well over the southern hemisphere now. Sunrises and sunsets are well south too. In the northern hemisphere we have entered the darkest…
How To Tell If You Are Looking at a Full Moon
A lot of people see a big round moon in the sky and confidently call it a full moon. And then wonder, is it really?…
Red Sky in the Morning, Shepherd’s Warning
Latest News: The Secret World of Weather book contains hundreds of weather signs. As the shepherds warn us, a red sky in the morning is…
The Difference Between Sunrise and Sunset
Have a look at this photo and see if you can tell whether it is a sunrise or sunset? Yes, it’s tricky. Sunrises and sunsets…
Scorpius Returns
In this image the three brightest objects in the sky are, from left to right, Venus, the moon and Jupiter. But look carefully to the…
Sun Dogs and Leaping Lambs
I’m just back from an evening stroll in the Peak District, catching the last of the sun. On my walk I met some leaping lambs…
Sharpening Skills at the Start and End of the Day
Just before you see the sun rise in the morning or just after it has set for you in the evening, try to work out…