by JKent@APD » Sun Jun 09, 2019 9:48 pm
Been there Done That!
MoonRise Through Mount Teide's Shadow; © Casado (TWAN)
A Triangular Shadow of a Large Volcano
Image Credit & © Juan Carlos Casado (TWAN)
Why does the shadow of this volcano look like a triangle? The Mount Teide
volcano itself does not have the strictly pyramidal shape that its geometric
shadow might suggest. The triangle shadow phenomena is not unique to the Mt.
Teide, though, & is commonly seen from the tops of other large mountains &
volcanoes. A key reason for the strange dark shape is that the observer is
looking down the long corridor of a sunset (or sunrise) shadow that extends to
the horizon. Even if the huge volcano were a perfect cube & the resulting
shadow were a long rectangular box, that box would appear to taper off @ its
top as its shadow extended far into the distance, just as parallel train
tracks do. The above spectacular image shows Pico Viejo crater in the
foreground, located on Tenerife in the Canary Islands of Spain. The nearly
full moon is seen nearby shortly after its total lunar eclipse last month.
Been there Done That!
MoonRise Through Mount Teide's Shadow; © Casado (TWAN)
A Triangular Shadow of a Large Volcano
Image Credit & © Juan Carlos Casado (TWAN)
Why does the shadow of this volcano look like a triangle? The Mount Teide
volcano itself does not have the strictly pyramidal shape that its geometric
shadow might suggest. The triangle shadow phenomena is not unique to the Mt.
Teide, though, & is commonly seen from the tops of other large mountains &
volcanoes. A key reason for the strange dark shape is that the observer is
looking down the long corridor of a sunset (or sunrise) shadow that extends to
the horizon. Even if the huge volcano were a perfect cube & the resulting
shadow were a long rectangular box, that box would appear to taper off @ its
top as its shadow extended far into the distance, just as parallel train
tracks do. The above spectacular image shows Pico Viejo crater in the
foreground, located on Tenerife in the Canary Islands of Spain. The nearly
full moon is seen nearby shortly after its total lunar eclipse last month.