I was out this morning before sunrise to shoot some images at Buffalo Creek Wildlife Management Area. This was a little more then an hour after sunrise and I was sitting on top of one of the buttes eating some breakfast when I noticed this cloud and the tail it had. I had never seen this before. It almost looks like the cloud is at a perfect angle to the sun and is casting a long shadow. I watched it for a while and as the angle between the sun and cloud and the shape of the cloud changed, the tail changed until it finally disappeared. Has anyone else seen this before and does anyone know what might cause it. This is not a great image, that is why I did not post it in the forum. Just an interesting phenomenon.
Richard, yep, I've seen this any number of times. Here's a 35mm image from about 20yrs ago in Yosemite. Sun was rising behind the valley walls and I believe simply casting a shadow on the the atmosphere. In this case it's a contrail. Also got the sundog thing going on too. Maybe someone like Stan or someone can give us a better answer/definition. cool phenomena anyway.
wow! great picture like Jet flying and nice smoke behind it
Posted by David Graham on July 20, 2012 at 5:09 AM
I've seen this only twice, both times in the morning with a low sun and some haze. Both times I thought it was the result of haze that was capable of revealing both illumination of the haze itself, as well as contrast with a cloud shadow cast within the haze. I thought of the effect as being opposite to that of a "Jacob's Ladder"
Dave Graham, East River, SD
Posted by David Graham on July 20, 2012 at 5:32 AM
Richard,
I just re-read your message and realized that my first observation of this phenomenon occurred only a few miles south of the bluffs where you were. I was surveying prairie falcon eyries along the N-S bluffs south of you just S over the WY-CO state line and had camped on a ledge of the bluffs whence I witnessed the cloud shadow while fixing breakfast! One of the pioneer artists (Catlin I think) pictured a similar phenomenon in that area. The painting was, in the late 70s, or early 80s, in the collection of western art in the Rockwell museum in Corning, NY.where I was shown it by Mr. Rockwell in a recently arrived batch of paintings, most of which were by Catlin, that he had acquired from an estate sale. I recall thinking and mentioning to Mr. Rockwell that the artist's easel had to have been set upon the top of those Bluffs.
Coincidences! Connections! Aren't they absolutely fascinating?
Dave Graham
Discussion
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Dave Graham, East River, SD
I just re-read your message and realized that my first observation of this phenomenon occurred only a few miles south of the bluffs where you were. I was surveying prairie falcon eyries along the N-S bluffs south of you just S over the WY-CO state line and had camped on a ledge of the bluffs whence I witnessed the cloud shadow while fixing breakfast! One of the pioneer artists (Catlin I think) pictured a similar phenomenon in that area. The painting was, in the late 70s, or early 80s, in the collection of western art in the Rockwell museum in Corning, NY.where I was shown it by Mr. Rockwell in a recently arrived batch of paintings, most of which were by Catlin, that he had acquired from an estate sale. I recall thinking and mentioning to Mr. Rockwell that the artist's easel had to have been set upon the top of those Bluffs.
Coincidences! Connections! Aren't they absolutely fascinating?
Dave Graham
So have I, especially in the mountains. It is, indeed, the shadow of the cloud.
--P