Stripes in the sky
When I first came to Brazil it was by crossing over the border with Colombia in the Northwest (deep in the Amazon). A friend and I spent a few days exploring the river and the jungle – of course, in such a short time we could only scratch the surface, but nevertheless we saw all kinds of amazing sights.
The Amazon.
We spent one memorable day with a guide in a small canoe, paddling upstream and then stopping off to trek through the forest, seeing some very cool animals and meeting some indigenous people who lived along the river.
These 3 kids paddled up to say hello.
About 2 minutes after we tied up our canoe on the bank, three kids paddled up in a canoe and accompanied us to their village which was nearby. As we arrived a few more people came out to say hello and showed us a few of their pets, including some kind of tiny monkey and a small alligator. Check out this shot I got of its amazing eye:
I managed to get a quick, ahem, snap of this alligator's eye...
Like I said, it was an amazing day, and as we paddled home with the sun setting, there was one more surprise waiting. I looked up at the sky and saw something I’d never seen before: pink and blue stripes in the sky! This photo was taken with my back to the sun which had just disappeared below the horizon:
Pink and blue stripes in the sky?! These were most prominent in the direction directly opposite the sun.
This was the first time I’d ever seen weird stripes like this in the sky, but over the next few months I saw them again about 3 or 4 times. I wondered why it was that I had never seen this phenomenon in any other country, but was now seeing it again and again in Brazil.
When I got some time I did a little searching and found that these things are called Anticrepuscular Rays. Basically they are rays seen on the opposite side of the sky from the sun, filtered through the atmosphere. They appear to converge at the antisolar point because of linear perspective (thanks Wikipedia!).
So now that I know what the stripes are, I still find it strange that I have only ever seen them in Brazil. It’s not just an Amazonian thing because I saw them again from Ipanema a couple of weeks ago.
More stripes in the sky, this time on Ipanema beach last weekend as the moon came up.
Anyone seen these stripes in other countries? If you do see them, be sure to casually drop in the term ‘Anticrepuscular Rays’ – people will think you’re some kind of science genius…
Great pictures! I can’t wait to get to the Amazon
Alex, you’re going to love it! Just remember to pack plenty of bug spray! ;)
Actually say that the stripes are gay related, and then observe the silent awe of those around you – spellbound by your perspicacity.
Btw I think it’s interesting that people often do things like taking a canoe ride in the jungle to then get off at a bank for a hike. Sure you must see some awesome wildlife; but you could also get clobbered by a beast. Doesn’t that cross your mind? If so would it not be best to have a gun on you?
I’ll be honest, if some kind of ranger had said “Hey, you should carry this rifle to protect yourself from wild animals”, the 10 year old boy in me would rather have enjoyed it. But in reality I think that kind of thing would be more appropriate in places like Canada/Alaska where there are bears, or Africa where there are Lions/Elephants/etc.
Probably the worst thing that would happen out in the jungle is a bad fall or a snake bite. I guess it comes down to travel/life philosophy: what do you find an acceptable balance between adventure and risk.
I hear that Australia is really bad concerning wildlife hazards; however neighboring New Zealand’s host few dangerous creatures. One thing I don’t trust are those shark nets. How can you be sure the installation team didn;t half ass the job?
Regarding personal bouts with the animal kingdom I was once attacked by a pigeon, at a square in Italy (he behaved much like the locals actually). Anyway, in the end, we both knew who was boss (in case your in doubt that would be me).
Yeah, Australia is weirdly full of things trying to kill you. You know even the male duck-billed platypus has venomous spurs on his hind legs? To all my (many, many) Australian readers out there – you take care guys…
p.s. I hate pigeons with a passion. And the pigeons in Rio have particularly bad attitude problems.
Those pictures are amaaaaaaziiingg! That eye! You should submit them to online photo contests! :D
Aww, thanks Danielle! Today: Eat Rio, tomorrow: National Geographic! ;)
I saw these stripes yesterday in the Florida sky. I took a pic. So they are definitely not exclusive to Brazil. Thanks for the info though. I did not know what they were called.
Hi Steph – thanks for letting me know. I’m starting to suspect that the reason I hadn’t seen the stripes before was because I spent the majority of my life in the UK (where we see the sun only on rare occasions!). :)