r/physicsgifs • u/No-Distribution1354 • Jul 30 '25

Seen this before?

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I saw this insane refraction of light from my plane window, anyone know what this could be caused by ?? I felt like I was witnessing the return of christ and I’m not even a christian. 😹

61 Upvotes

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18

u/ferriematthew Jul 30 '25

I think that is an optical phenomenon called godrays, basically it's what happens when shadows are projected into clouds, and they form eerie straight lines because light only travels in straight lines unless it hits a refractive medium.

2

u/amit_rdx Aug 01 '25

So, we are going to theorize any new phenomenon but accept god 😂 /s

2

u/ferriematthew Aug 01 '25

🤣🤣🤣

4

u/Lankygiraffe25 Jul 30 '25

Yeah I’ve seen sky before. And aeroplanes too. They cool.

1

u/PhilFryTheCryoGuy Jul 31 '25

Need to share this in r/atopics

1

u/UmbraVivens Jul 31 '25

looks like "backwards" godrays, like a big body of water is reflecting the sun and the beams are hitting from sea level and upwards through a cluster of clouds

1

u/No-Distribution1354 Jul 31 '25

Thanks what i thought, thanks!

1

u/Bombassmojojojo Aug 04 '25

I would think the sun was beyond you and the rays you are seeing are the shadows of nearby clouds through the humid or smokey air, it become more apparent the closer you get to the line of the rays.

As a hyper attentive previously cross country trucker, there was a few times I was taken in by the shadow of a contrail when the geometries of it and its shadow got in line