A glory is an optical phenomenon produced by light backscattered (a combination of diffraction, reflection and refraction) towards its source by a cloud of uniformly-sized water droplets. Diffraction is normally taken to refer to various phenomena which occur when a wave encounters an obstacle Reflection is the change in direction of a Wave front at an interface between two different media so that the wave front returns into the medium from which Refraction is the change in direction of a Wave due to a change in its Speed. A glory has multiple colored rings. Most people see only one ring. The glory, however, can show many rings when the cloud is made of uniform water droplets. Sometimes the rings fluctuate wildly in size. This happens when a plane, for instance, skirts a canyon of clouds and its glory shadow comes and goes. [1]
The angular size is much smaller than a rainbow, about 5° to 20°, depending on the size of the droplets. A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of Light to appear in the Sky when the Sun Since it is seen in the direction opposite the sun, it is most commonly observed while airborne, with the glory surrounding the airplane's shadow on clouds (this is often called The Glory of the Pilot). The phenomenon is also known as an anthelion. An anthelion (plural anthelia, from late Greek ανθηλιος "opposite the sun" is a rare Optical phenomenon appearing on the Parhelic
In 1947, the Dutch astronomer Hendrik van de Hulst suggested that surface waves were involved in the formation of glories. Hendrik Christoffel "Henk" van de Hulst ( Utrecht, Nov 19 1918 &ndash Leiden, Jul 31 2000) was a Dutch The colored rings of the glory are caused by two-ray interference between "short" and "long" path surface waves – which are generated by light rays entering the droplets at diametrically opposite points (both rays suffer one internal reflection). For a more complete description, see the external link to "How are glories formed?"
Glories are often seen in association with a Brocken spectre, the apparently enormously magnified shadow of an observer, cast (when the Sun is low) upon the upper surfaces of clouds that are below the mountain upon which he or she stands. A Brocken spectre ( German Brockengespenst) also called Brocken bow or mountain spectre is the apparently enormously magnified Shadow The name derives from the Brocken, the tallest peak of the Harz mountain range in Germany. The Brocken, or Blocksberg, is the highest peak in the Harz Mountains in Germany and also the highest peak of Northern Germany; it is located The Harz is a mountain range in central Germany It is the highest mountain chain in northern Germany occupying parts of the German states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Because the peak is above the cloud level, and the area is frequently misty, the condition of a shadow cast onto a cloud layer is relatively favored. The appearance of giant shadows that seemed to move by themselves due to the movement of the cloud layer (this movement is another part of the definition of the Brocken Spectre), and which were surrounded by optical glory halos, may have contributed to the reputation the Harz mountains hold as a refuge for witches and evil spirits. In Goethe's Faust, the Brocken is called the Blocksberg and is the site of the Witches' Sabbath on Walpurgis Night. ˈjoːhan ˈvɔlfgaŋ fɔn ˈgøːtə (in English generally ˈgɝːtə 28 August 1749 22 March 1832 was a German writer Faust or Faustus ( Latin for "auspicious" or "lucky" is the protagonist of a classic German Legend in which he makes The Brocken, or Blocksberg, is the highest peak in the Harz Mountains in Germany and also the highest peak of Northern Germany; it is located The Witches' Sabbath or Sabbat is a supposed meeting of those who practice Witchcraft, Satanism, or other rites Walpurgis Night is a traditional religious holiday (celebrated by Pagans Roman Catholics and Satanists ref> About the Church of Satan alike celebrated
C. T. R. Wilson saw a glory while working as a temporary observer at the Ben Nevis weather station. Charles Thomson Rees Wilson CH ( February 14, 1869 &ndash November 15, 1959) was a Scottish Physicist and Ben Nevis ( Gaelic: Beinn Nibheis, peˈɲivəʃ is the highest mountain in the British Isles. Inspired by the impressive sight, he decided to build a device for creating clouds in the laboratory, so that he could make a synthetic, small-scale glory. His work led directly to the cloud chamber, a device for detecting ionizing radiation for which he and Arthur Compton received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1927. The cloud chamber, also known as the Wilson chamber, is used for detecting particles of Ionizing radiation. Image talkNew_radiation_symbol_ISO_21482svg for details --> Ionizing radiation
In China, this phenomenon is called Buddha's light (佛光). China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder It was often observed on cloud-shrouded high mountains, such as Huangshan Mountains and Mount Emei. Omei Shan redirects here For the bird see Grey-faced Liocichla Mount Emei ( literally towering Eyebrow Mountain) is a Mountain in Records of the phenomenon at Mount Emei date back to A. D. 63. The colorful halo always surrounds the observer's own shadow, and thus was often taken to show the observer's personal enlightenment (associated with Buddha or divinity).
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References
Mayes, Lawrence (01/09/2003), Glories - an Atmospheric Phenomenon, <http://freespace.virgin.net/ljmayes.mal/var/glorytxt.htm>. Retrieved on 4 September 2007
Nave, R (Undated), Coronas, <http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/atmos/corona.html#c2>. Retrieved on 4 September 2007
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A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of Light to appear in the Sky when the Sun The antisolar point is the imaginary point on the Celestial sphere exactly opposite the Sun. The subparhelic circle is a rare halo, an Optical phenomenon located below the Horizon. Gegenschein ( very roughy like GAY-guhn-shine German for "counter shine" is a faint brightening of the night sky in the region of the Antisolar Heiligenschein ( German for " Aureole " or " halo " literally "Saint's shine" is an Optical phenomenon which Sylvanshine is an Optical phenomenon in which dew-covered trees of Species whose leaves are wax-covered retroreflect beams of light as from a vehicle's An aureola or aureole (diminutive of Latin aurea, "golden" is the radiance of luminous cloud which in Paintings of sacred personagesDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic