1/25/2006: Gateway arch shadow projection

milkfish · 01-26-2006, 07:44 AM

Can anyone in Washington DC on a cloudy night verify whether the Washington Monument casts X-shaped shadows upward?

glatt · 01-26-2006, 08:42 AM

I've seen the Washington Monument at night many many times, but don't remember ever seeing any light pattern projected onto the clouds. I've seen bright haze around the top of the monument, but that's it.

I think that it's rare for this type of thing to happen. You have to have the perfect conditions. The air has to be clear down low, with heavy cloud cover at just the right altitude. The clouds need to be the kind that blanket an area, but aren't all irregularly shaped. It may only happen a handful of nights each year. Then you need someone to notice it and take a picture of it.

The photographer was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. The photographer was skilled to get the exposure right (nighttime photography is difficult to do) and the composition is good too, which may be skill, or may be luck.

The picture is a good one.

Kitsune · 01-26-2006, 12:19 PM

Bat signal? You sure about that?

beavis · 01-26-2006, 07:55 PM

that's pretty tite

01-26-2006, 12:19 PM	#3
Kitsune still eats dirt Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 3,031	Bat signal? You sure about that? Attached Images

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01-26-2006, 07:44 AM	#1
milkfish A serene breakdown Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Northern NJ, USA Posts: 266	Can anyone in Washington DC on a cloudy night verify whether the Washington Monument casts X-shaped shadows upward?

01-26-2006, 08:42 AM	#2
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	I've seen the Washington Monument at night many many times, but don't remember ever seeing any light pattern projected onto the clouds. I've seen bright haze around the top of the monument, but that's it. I think that it's rare for this type of thing to happen. You have to have the perfect conditions. The air has to be clear down low, with heavy cloud cover at just the right altitude. The clouds need to be the kind that blanket an area, but aren't all irregularly shaped. It may only happen a handful of nights each year. Then you need someone to notice it and take a picture of it. The photographer was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. The photographer was skilled to get the exposure right (nighttime photography is difficult to do) and the composition is good too, which may be skill, or may be luck. The picture is a good one.

01-26-2006, 07:55 PM	#4
beavis butthead died Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: mtv reruns Posts: 88	that's pretty tite

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