I posted this on the Photo Critique forum and asked for some help in understanding the black rays. I was told that these are crepuscular, aka God, rays. I am used to seeing rays of light shining through the clouds, but not black rays. I would appreciate a better explanation.
In any case it was a very impressive sight and I hope you enjoy this image.
Well I liked it at PC and I like it here too. I still think these are crepuscular rays. There is another type that is bright light shining downward thru holes in the clouds. I believe these are shadows caused by clouds blocking the sun rather than holes that allow the sun to shine through.
I saw your post this morning on my cell phone and thought this was a cool image but looking at it full scale on my monitor right now really shows the pop this image has.
I agree with Ben. It looks like a few thick clouds back towards the sun are casting shadows along the bottom side of the cloud mass.
Is this what some folks call a nuclear sunset? I know it looks like one to me.
Very nice capture!
Edit:
I was fortunate enough to witness anticrepuscular rays while at the beach a few minute after hurricane Irene went past a few years ago. That was the craziest thing I have ever seen. There were dark rays in a mostly blue sky all generating from a single point out over the ocean and the sun was setting 180 deg behind me.
I have been fascinated by Light Rays since I was a child. Old buildings with leaking roof, bullet holes in signs, banks of windows or a well orchestrated studio show the rays or streaks of dark. It seems all cultures associate these with deity. I thought this was good from Wiki
Crepuscular rays seem to emanate from a single point, the location of the sun, by definition. These do not seem to line up quite right, to a single point. The one on the far left actually appears to be curved. Others have irregular shape.
I do think they result from the shadows of low clouds projected above, as others have said, but I don't think the term crepuscular rays is appropriate.
Beautiful image! As others said, these are shadows on the "bottom" of the cloud layer. I've seen this a few times and it's always a bit bizarre. Although not the case here, I've also seen contrails cast shadows on clouds above. In either case, it's a pretty unique set of conditions that causes them.
