So amidst all the rain that we have had, and after all the depressing indoor moments, I thought I would share something about the good old sunny African sky to lighten the mood. I must admit that I really struggle (in my heart) to see the positivity in life when the weather is miserable. I know (in my mind) that it is good for the earth, especially after hearing on the news last night that we are amongst the top 30 driest countries in the world. This, according to the WWF, as they tried to create awareness by organising a "Swim for Nature event", yesterday, at Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town.
The photo heading this post was taken about 2 weeks ago outside my house, I saw the brilliance of the sun lighting up the strips of cloud. No camera could capture how brilliant the clouds looked. My Samsung s5 did okay, but the moment cannot be fully experienced by the second hand beholder.
So to cheer the mood, I will share some fun facts about the nature seen in the picture.
1 Why is the sky so pink/red at sunset?
I get quite annoyed when people say that it is due to the pollution in the atmosphere. I have often heard people say that in an attempt to disregard the awesomeness of nature. If this is so, why do we have these brilliant sunsets (and sunrises) in the middle of untainted forests and deserts around the world? To answer the question, the sun emits solar radiation in the form of wave energy. In addition to the unseen longer and shorter waves such as infrared and ultraviolet, respectively, there is a visible spectrum that we see, which consists of red orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. When these waves travel at the same time, we observe this as white light. When some of these waves get dispersed by atmospheric particles, we observe this with our eyes. The shorter wavelengths of the visible spectrum (violet, indigo, blue) are more easily scattered by atmospheric particles, and during the day we observe this scattered light in the atmosphere as the blue sky. The remaining waves (red, orange, yellow, green) reach the earth and interacts with matter in different ways. During the late afternoon, the sun has more atmosphere to travel through, which means there is more atmosphere for the sunlight to travel through. More atmosphere, means more dispersion of waves, so now not only the short wavelengths (violet, indigo, blue) get dispersed, but also some of the longer ones (red, orange, yellow). Pollution may serve to enhance this effect, but it happens regardless of pollution. For more on this click here.
2 Why does the sun appear bigger during the late afternoon and early mornings?
I have heard people say that it is because the sun is closer to the earth, or the vice versa. This is also incorrect. Due to the above explained phenomenon about the sunlight traveling through more atmosphere at these times of the day, the sun is magnified by the atmosphere, like a magnifying glass.
3 What are the names of clouds seen?
The image below describes the different clouds. Not that difficult to remember.
Nimbus- waterbearing
Cumulus- columnar
Stratus- flat/long
Prefix alto- high
Cirro- very high cloud that is usually composed of wispy ice crystals
As I am writing this, I see the sun showing its face through the clouds. My day is now cheered up! Thanks God! May we remember the sunny days when things go tough. Above the clouds the sun is still shining as bright as before.
Have a great weekend!