sun Sunrise - Sunset?

Interesting analysis, Pete! I must say, you're completely........oops! Almost gave it away. :-)

 

I find it interesting too, Nathan, and I believe all photographers are sentient creatures expressing or capturing emotion through our work. To be honest, this post was in part motivated by the constant berating of simple sunrise/sunset photos as if they somehow diminish the worth of a photographer, and yet there's so much to learn from such a simple exercise: the changing light, the study of clouds, color; just about everything experienced in photography except object placement. I'm sure with some thinking, many more interesting discussion topics can emerge to cause an entirely different perspective on the next sunrise/sunset we experience.

 

Thanks to John as well, for the initial inspiration from viewing his SUNSETS (its a sickness, I can't help myself) folder. :-)

Hint : Michael cannot spell - alarm klock ...... !

I'm completely lost, Ken. Oh.... if you mean my comment on John's sunset picture? No, that was the inspiration to post, but not necessarily sunsets. :-)

If my sickness has somehow contributed to this debate, then i am honored. If anyone looks at my folder to see why Michael was inspired (and I don't know that answer) I believe there are nine photographs in the folder. All of the shots,but one, the tripod didn't move more than 300 feet. I don't know if Michael caught that there are both Sunset and Sunrise photos there. Now excuse me while I go shovel for the fifth time. Nathan I wish we had as little snow as you :)

Two hours of having snow blow back in my face got me thinking thinking obout the horizon that MM Meehan mentioned and wondering why/ what the reason is for the horizon "warping" on a sunset,but not on a sunrise. That is not a phenomena that I had noted. Oh and Nathan edited his comment from 15 inches of snow to 25 inches of snow which puts his total over the last reported total for my area (18) but the drifts make it much higher in certain areas.

John, ever look at a bunch of thumbnails or pictures and stay fixated on a thought? Well, it happens to me often and your folder is one that did that (not to mention Nathan's stuff that caused a mind explosion). I wasn't aware of both sunrise and sunsets among your shots, and as much as I'd hate to admit, I can't tell the difference! :-)

 

I've not paid attention to horizon warps before but surely will from now on! But I can't think of a good reason other than thermal gradients at ground level from a full day's warming by the sun.

I have just read pages and pages about this and it has all turned to mush in my mind. And I have not had time to see John or Nathan's pages. In a nutshell: The curvature of the earth can be seen and measured at any time, it does not have to be sunset or sunrise. I saw this curvature while observing a sunset recently. One of the other people who was photographing the sunset told me to watch for it, as soon as the sun fell below the horizon. I could see the curve with my naked eye, but I have yet to review all my shots of that sunset and will eventually upload them to my gallery "long beach" on photopoints. But as said earlier, this curvature, it seems, can be measured at any time of day. I just observed it at sunset time. I am seldom awake at sunrise, so that is no surprise.

 

John, from Michael's windmill shots, I would say he is a nite owl too. :)) Or were they taken in the early morning light? heh!

 

I hope you are all able to enjoy your housebound storm stayedness. It can be quite fun sometimes. You get to meet your neighbours out shovelling snow and all sorts of parties break out!

 

To bore you even further here is a long quote from something I was reading about Venus. It seems it can be either the morning star or the evening star. No need to read further unless you care to. (Michael, I will delete all this quote if you find that it is too long and slows down the upload of your portfolio.) Here goes:

Venus, in astronomy, 2d planet from the sun; it is often called the evening star or morning star and is brighter than any object in the sky except the sun and the moon. Because its orbit lies between the sun and the orbit of the earth, Venus passes through phases like those of the moon, varying from a large bright crescent when the planet is near inferior conjunction (nearest the earth) to a smaller silvery disk when it is at superior conjunction (farthest from the earth). Since its greatest elongation (the angle made between the sun, the earth, and Venus) is 47°, it can never be seen much longer than 3 hr after sunset or 3 hr before sunrise. Venus revolves around the sun at a mean distance of c.67 million mi (107 million km) in a nearly circular orbit, and its period of revolution is about 225 days. It comes closer to the earth than any other planet, being c.26 million mi (42 million km) away at inferior conjunction. Venus is often referred to as the sister planet of the earth, because it is only slightly smaller in both size and mass. Several important differences, however, exist between the two planets. Although Venus is covered with a thick blanket of clouds that hides its surface from view, much has been learned of the conditions on Venus from U.S. and Soviet space probes. These probes indicate a surface temperature of about 890°F (475°C) and an atmospheric pressure as great as 100 times that at the earth's surface. The thick atmosphere is composed mainly of carbon dioxide, with a slight amount of water vapor and a trace of nitrogen and other elements. The high surface temperature is assumed to result partly from the greenhouse effect; radiation passing through the atmosphere heats the surface, but the heat is blocked by the enveloping carbon dioxide from escaping back out through the atmosphere. Studies also indicate that Venus rotates on its axis in a retrograde direction (opposite to the direction of revolution about the sun) with a period of about 243 days. Despite this slow rotation there is little observed temperature difference between the lighted and unlighted sides of the planet. The surface of Venus is thought to be erratic and stormy, although radio-wave data indicate the possible existence of two long mountain ranges. And etc... on and on.

And to further confuse things and muddy that nice tranquil water above, here is yet another quote about morning/evening stars:

 

evening star or morning star, planet that becomes visible in the western sky shortly after sunset or in the eastern sky shortly before sunrise. It can usually be seen in twilight, when it is too light for the true stars to be seen. Venus and Mercury are often seen as evening or morning stars. Other planets, especially Mars and Jupiter, may appear as evening or morning stars at certain points in their orbits.

 

So, it seems the stars in the photos attached could be regarded as 'red herrings' in solving our dilemna.

 

You say it is a sunset, then Michael?

 

Horizon warps are something I am definitely going to look for, but I am wondering whether the interuption of trees or hills might not make a horizon warp impossible to see. I would think that it would need to be an uninterupted plain such as a calm ocean, flat desert or prairie.

 

MM thank you for the research. I read the whole comment and 840 degrees sounds good right now though I can do without the extra difficulty of movement and I am light headed enough with out the carbon dioxide.

 

Michael, I'm still sticking with sunrise. :)

Michael, which ever (Sunrise - Sunset)it is very beautiful.

If you look carefully, that's me standing next to one of the lights on the shore! I remember that day as if it was just... well, whenever Michael made this image.

 

Even if you can't recognize me (ps: get some eyeglasses!), the water is too calm for it to be the end of the day.

ya know, one's sunset is another's sunrise. Not going to use the moss on the north side of the tree theory...ever been in the woods and the moss is all around the blasted tree? good luck finding north that way.

 

I'm guessing sunrise because Micheal isnt afraid of cold or heights and therefore isnt afraid to get out of bed early either.

 

Now Michael, stop our brains from aching and tell!

 

Knicki

Thanks for contributing to the further confusion, guys. :-)

 

To be honest, there's been so much commotion since this picture that I can't even remember whether it's a sunrise or sunset! Just as well; it proves the initial question - unless someone comes up with definitive proof. :-)

Are you saying you cant remember if you got up before the street lights went off or stayed out past the street lights went on.

 

Michael, I think they have a p-ill for that.

 

I can't remember as in some things are best kept as secrets. :-)