* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia
In La Vanguardia Readers’ Photos we can see these spectacular crepuscular rays at dawn on Gavà beach, in Baix Llobregat, with the plane flying over this atmospheric optical phenomenon.
Crepuscular rays, in atmospheric optics, are rays of sunlight that appear to radiate from a single point in the sky. We see in these images how they are projected onto the Mediterranean Sea.
These rays flow through openings in clouds (especially stratocumulus) or between other objects. They are columns of sunlit air separated by dark regions of cloud shadow.
The name comes from its frequent appearances during twilight hours (sunrise and sunset), when the contrasts between light and darkness are the most obvious.
Not in vain does crepuscular come from the Latin word crepusculum, which means “twilight.” In the image we not only see the plane flying over the rays, but also the ship sailing underneath.
