Interesting image

[Chris Hayes]

Well, I was going through my photo albums taking out pictures to scan onto my computer and I found this picture. I took this back in the day when they still put the date film was developed on the back of the picture. I had this developed in 1993. The year I started weather related photography. Any idea what this would be? I'm guessing it's sun rays from the setting sun, but kinda looks weird.

 

[Darrin Rasberry]

... cloud to cloud lightning in the middle of the night with a lucky shot?

Also, cirrus clouds are a possibility (if it was taken at sunset).

It could also have been the Enterprise's trail going into warp speed ... they did come save the whales in the 80's, remember?

 

[Terry Tyler]

... cloud to cloud lightning in the middle of the night with a lucky shot?

where is your cloud to cloud lightning?

looks like lens scratches, or grainyness to me...cirrus being backlit by a setting sun...

 

[Karen Politte]

Not sure what's so strange about them, but these look like common-or-garden crepuscular rays to me. Of course, if these were taken facing AWAY from the sun during sunset, these could be anticrepuscular rays, or rays from the setting or rising sun that seem to converge at the antisolar point.

Anti/crepuscular rays can form quite beautiful and strange patterns. I imagine that your pattern was formed by some cloud matter which imposed itself between your point of view and the sun. A small cloud - when hit by the setting sun - can cast a shadow the length of one horizon to the other. Also - if that cloud happens to cast it's shadow upward upon a cloud-deck right at sunset or sunrise, the effect can be particularly spectacular or eerie.

I took these anti-crepuscular rays facing east-south-east at sunset on April 2nd, 2006 after an Arkansas chase that resulted in a spectacular, tall cone tornado:

KL

 

[Robert Dewey]

where is your cloud to cloud lightning?

Cloud-to-cloud lightning isn't always visible as a "bolt." In this case, the shot could have been taken at night, with light visible at the cloud base.

looks like lens scratches, or grainyness to me...cirrus being backlit by a setting sun...

I think we're discussing the lighting, not the quality of the film.

 

[Brian Stertz]

I was thinking sun pillars too on this one. This example looks like the light was being deflected off the weakish mammatus canopy. This being a daylight shot probably rules out any lightning ideas.

 

[Martin North]

They look like they are Anti-Creps to me.

 

[Karen Politte]

I was thinking sun pillars too on this one. This example looks like the light was being deflected off the weakish mammatus canopy. This being a daylight shot probably rules out any lightning ideas.

Hey Brian how ya doing?

Are we thinking of the same sun pillar? LOL. Because the sun pillar I am thinking of looks like THIS:

In comparison to that - I'd still have to say that it's more akin to crepuscular or anticrepuscular rays. Sun pillars are cool, tho!

Also - I would say that it's unlikely the thread starter's image could be of a sun pillar, because sun pillars (from what I understand) must be oriented N-S along the axis of the sun - i.e. the most likely one you will see will be at sunset, which will appear to "shoot" up (north) from the top of the sun in a pillar shape. The poster's image looks like the rays of light are coming away at an angle strongly indicative of creps rays......

Just my 2c,

KL

 

[Terry Tyler]

I think we're discussing the lighting, not the quality of the film.

you think so?

i dont see the lightning...it looks like film grains, or scratches...the discussion hasnt changed...

 

[Robert Dewey]

you think so?

i dont see the lightning...it looks like film grains, or scratches...the discussion hasnt changed...

Lighting. Not lightning

Any idea what this would be? I'm guessing it's sun rays from the setting sun, but kinda looks weird.

That quote by Chris leads me to believe that he is wondering about the light, not the hairs, grains, and scratches that are evident (and quite common on scanned photos).

But... to add... I think you are right with the backlit cloud theory. I'm just saying that an illuminated cloud base wouldn't be a rarity.

 

[Chris Hayes]

Yeah, I was talking about the light, not the scratches I totally forget taking that picture, as I do most of the ones I took back in the early to mid 90s. I thought it was interesting because they dont look like normal cirpuscular rays. Mostly because of the breaks in them.

 

[Chad Cowan]

I would have to say crepuscular rays or some variation of them. It looks like this picture I took where the sun was setting under a cloud base and had a lower cloud blocking it on the left.

 

[Paul Knightley]

Definately crepuscular rays with a low elevation sun, IMO.