#mie scattering

A simple gap in the obstructing clouds allows the sun's glazing beams to break through, creating such a majestic, magical, and breathtaking moment of somber, sullen sunset. These rays are commonly known as crepuscular rays, sunbeams, sun shafts, or volumetric light beams. They are also often called "God rays" due to their awe-inspiring, almost divine appearance....like beams of heavenly light piercing through the gloom....

The beams become visible as light scatters off tiny particles in the air, such as dust, water droplets, pollen, smoke, etc. (primarily through Mie scattering, with some Rayleigh scattering contributing). The surrounding areas remain darker (in shadow from the clouds), producing a strong contrast between the bright rays and the dimmer background. This effect is especially striking in color photographs, where trees often appear almost black, and in black-and-white images, the contrast is further enhanced—making the trees look as if some are drawn with bold strokes of black paint to make the captured images even more enchantingly beautiful.....

ICTS Bangalore, India

Introduction Mie scattering is a solution of Maxwell’s equations for the scattering of an electromagnetic plane wave by a homogeneous sphere. The term “Mie scattering” suggests scattering by particles that are similar in size to, or larger than, the wavelength of light. It is named after Gustav Mie, who first solved the scattering problem for a sphere in 1908. Basics of Mie Scattering In…

Introduction Scattering theory is a framework in physics that is used to study and understand the interactions of particles and fields. It is especially important in quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, and particle physics, as well as in classical wave phenomena like light scattering. Basic Principle Scattering involves an incident wave or particle that is forced to deviate from a…

Rio Celeste, The Most Prominent Natural Jewels in Costa Rica

Nature is such a powerful inspiration to every human being on earth. When we saw something special, suddenly we say wow without any intention. The similar natural inspiration is the Blue River in Cost Rica, winding through the verdant rainforest of Tenorio Volcano National Park. The turquoise tones of Río Celeste is one of Costa Rica’s most prominent natural jewels actually an optical phenomenon,…

From Earth Science Picture Of The Day; October 9, 2015:

Colors of Near and Distant Forests Photographer: Mario Freitas, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná; Summary Author: Mario Freitas

The bluish appearance of distant objects isn't due to their true color, but rather to the effect of sunlight scattered by the atmosphere layer between the object and the observer. The influence of our atmosphere on landscape was carefully studied in the 15th century by Leonardo da Vinci, who reproduced important visual effects in his famous Virgin of the Rocks painting. He noted that the longer the distance from the object to the eye, the more noticeable the contribution of the atmosphere. We know now, thanks to the electromagnetic nature of visible light, that strongly wavelength-dependent Rayleigh scattering on air molecules provides the increasing bluish hue while Mie scattering by dust particles results in increasingly whitish tones. Additionally, airlight decreases the contrast between near and distant objects.