lee petersen photography

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  1. Galleries
  2. Atmospheric Optics

Atmospheric Optics

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  • Halos

    Halos

    A 22° halo with strong parhelia and an upper tangent arc.

  • Halos and FIres

    Halos and FIres

    A strong parhelia and 22° halo. Outside you can also see the faint 46° halo, and then smoke from the Haystack fire on the far right.

  • Great summer optics! A 22° halo, parhelia, and partial circumscribed halo.

    Great summer optics! A 22° halo, parhelia, and partial circumscribed halo.

  • Sundog

    Sundog

    January 29, 2021. Parhelia appears over the trees. It's been so warm this winter I haven't seen many ice halos before this week. It wasn't very bright, but there was a faint, partial parhelic circle as well (extending out from the sundog). Temperature: -4°F (-20°C) | Sunrise: 9:44 am | Sunset: 4:24 pm

  • Parhelia

    Parhelia

  • A Cold Day

    A Cold Day

    A -24°F morning in Fairbanks, Alaska. Sunrise and sundog over the Alaska Range.

  • Light Pillars

    Light Pillars

    January 26, 2021. Light pillars appear over railroad tracks near Tanana Lakes in Fairbanks, Alaska. This awesome atmospheric phenomenon is caused by light reflecting off of ice crystals in the atmosphere. They depend on the brightness of the light, location of ice crystals, and unlike a light beam, also on the location of the observer. I have a write-up on light pillars on my website here: https://lwpetersen.com/atmospheric-optics/light-pillars/ - Temperature: -21°F (-29°C) | Sunrise: 9:53 am | Sunset: 4:14 pm

  • Light Pillars

    Light Pillars

    Light pillars over railroad tracks in Fairbanks, Alaska.

  • Light Pillars

    Light Pillars

    Lots of colors over town and a good variety of altitude.

  • Light Pillars

    Light Pillars

  • Fata Morgana

    Fata Morgana

  • Fata Morgana

    Fata Morgana

    January 14, 2021. Normally we can barely see the Delta Mountains from Fairbanks, as the subrange of the Alaska Range is about 140 miles away. However, yesterday we had a very strong temperature inversion which causes a superior mirage called Fata Morgana. We see these mirages very often in the winter, but this was by far the best display I have seen as it combined with the sunset light hitting the peaks just perfectly. Taken at 3:07 pm from the University of Alaska. Temperature: -8°F in town and +10°F on the hill | Sunrise: 10:27 am | Sunset: 3:33 pm

  • Fata Morgana

    Fata Morgana

  • Fata Morgana

    Fata Morgana

  • Sundogs

    Sundogs

  • Untitled photo
  • Sundogs

    Sundogs

  • Sundog and Islands

    Sundog and Islands

    In Prince William Sound near Valdez, Alaska

  • Iridescent Clouds

    Iridescent Clouds

    Iridescent clouds under the Sun in Denali National Park.

  • Halo

    Halo

    A strong 22 degree halo. Denali is on the left.

  • Forest light

    Forest light

    A little fog and crepuscular rays make for a beautiful sight!

  • Lower Tangent Arc

    Lower Tangent Arc

    A bit of a halo and a good lower tangent arc.

  • Untitled photo
  • Untitled photo
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