Glitter arcs
Avatar

Glitter arcs

by Konstantinos Kourtidis, Demokritus University of Thrace, Xanthi, Greece

Glitter (the ensemble of sun glints, each being the reflection of sunlight from a wave wth the right slope to send the light to the observer eyes). In this image, glitter is the result of light from the sun at about 10 deg above the horizon. The glints appear to be arranged in arcs. This is the result of simple reflection geometry, the arcs (on the plane of the photographic film) being part of concentric cycles with the sun at the center.