Anyone who looked at the sky in the morning or evening in recent days may have noticed that beautiful twilight colors appeared on the horizon. A band of light pink and purple hues colored the sky shortly after sunset and just before sunrise. Meteorologists call it ‘the belt of Venus’. And beneath it even the shadow of the earth was visible. But how does this beautiful atmospheric phenomenon arise? Is it rare? And when are we most likely to see it? Meteorologist Jonas De Bodt explains.
The belt of Venus appears as a beautiful pink band on the horizon shortly after sunset or shortly before sunrise directly opposite the sun. The colors usually extend about 10 to 20 degrees above the horizon and are caused by the scattering of sunlight in our atmosphere. When the sun is close to the horizon, the light rays must penetrate a particularly thick layer of our atmosphere. Most wavelengths are scattered by the particles in our atmosphere and only the long wavelengths (red color) remain. That is why beautiful red twilight colors often appear at sunrise and sunset. The red sunlight will also illuminate the small particles in our atmosphere in the sky opposite the sun. The red light is then reflected back and a pink-purple glow is ultimately the result.
The phenomenon usually lasts about 15 to 20 minutes, just before sunrise or just after sunset, and can be seen regularly in our country. The only requirement is a completely clear, cloudless sky. That is why the phenomenon has been so visible in recent days. Although we can observe the belt of Venus in any season, the phenomenon is especially noticeable in the winter months because the pink colors are usually slightly brighter.
Read more below the image
If you look at the sky a little earlier before sunrise or later after sunset, you can also find a dark purple-blue strip of sky near the horizon. It is the shadow of our planet, which stands out strongly against the twilight colors just above it. After sunset you will see that the shadow continues to rise. The dark band on the horizon becomes arc-shaped and wider. Gradually the colors will fade and the stars will appear. Just before sunrise we see the opposite happen.
The name is somewhat misleading, because the belt of Venus has nothing to do with the planet Venus. The planet is never even visible in that part of our sky. But where does the name come from? Apparently the phenomenon is said to be associated with the girdle or belt worn by the Greek goddess Aphrodite, the Roman counterpart of Venus.
Which animals can you best provide extra food in the winter and how? (+)
Diarrhea threatens to make a deadly advance due to climate change: “High-income countries are also at risk”
King Winter dominates with cold shot: will rare ‘LMG’ scenario cause even more freezing cold and even snow next week? (+)
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss anything from the stars.