‘Fingers of light’ illuminate Jeddah sky at sunset

Jeddah’s evening sky displayed an awe-inspiring display as striking crepuscular rays formed beams of light and shadow against a backdrop of vibrant colors. The phenomenon created the illusion of 'fingers of light' stretching across the horizon, intermingling with the sunset hues. Majed Abu Zahra, leader of the Jeddah Astronomy Society, explained that the rays appear when sunlight encounters gaps between clouds.

The clouds block portions of the sun’s rays, resulting in alternating areas of light and dark caused by shadows. Abu Zahra noted that the scattering of sunlight in the atmosphere enhances the visibility of these beams, while fine dust particles and aerosols suspended in the air add to their striking appearance. He emphasized that although sunlight arrives at Earth’s surface in nearly parallel lines, the human eye perceives them as diverging from a single point near the horizon—an effect caused by visual perspective.

Abu Zahra pointed out that crepuscular rays are a common optical phenomenon, but their clarity depends on factors such as cloud formation, the amount of particles in the atmosphere, and the sun’s angle. The phenomenon is most visible at sunset, when the sun is low and near the horizon, offering the ideal angle to observe the beams that form between light and shadow.

The Jeddah sky showcased a gradient of colors, ranging from blue and violet to pink, gold, and orange, as these contrasting beams cut through the sunset colors—a captivating visual created by the interaction of sunlight, clouds, and the atmosphere.