Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    Spotted in Suffolk: What are crepuscular rays?

09:00
3 February 2023

Spotted in Suffolk
What are crepuscular rays?

Crepuscular rays
Crepuscular rays seen in Lowestoft, Suffolk this week. - © Elaine High

A Weather & Radar user submitted a picture of crepuscular rays shining overhead this week, they are visually stunning but do you know what they are?

It is very simple, as the sun rises or sets each day rays of light shine through the sky. At times clear pillars of light appear.

These are crepuscular rays, sometimes called God rays, and appear as sunlight shines through or over clouds catching dust and smoke particles which make the beams more visible.

In addition to this phenomena, there are also anti-crepuscular rays. These rays converge toward an anti-solar point away from the sun.

These are dimmer than their regular counterpart, and you can see them by looking in the opposite direction of the sun.

Just like crepuscular rays these are more visible at sunrise or sunset as the sun passes the horizon.

If you see either of these solar illusions, be sure to snap a shot and send it our way via the image uploader!

Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
A hot and thundery week. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday, 28 June 2026
Split image showing a bright branching lightning bolt illuminating pink storm clouds on the left and a vivid rainbow arching above a rocky coastline and calm sea beneath dark clouds on the right.
Sunday, 28 June 2026

Your weather - Your shots

A hot and thundery week
Record-breaking heatwave in Europe. New records. . . Thursday, 25 June 2026
A map showing extremely high temperatures across Western Europe and a warning symbol. On the right, people cool off at a fountain in front of the Eiffel Tower during the heatwave in Paris.
Thursday, 25 June 2026

New records

Record-breaking heatwave in Europe
New record June temperature in the UK. Likely to be broken again. . . Thursday, 25 June 2026
Heat map of southern England on 24.06 showing extreme temperatures across Hampshire, with Gosport highlighted at 36.1°C and nearby Portsmouth around 35°C amid deep red heat zones.
Thursday, 25 June 2026

Likely to be broken again

New record June temperature in the UK
All weather news
This might also interest you
Mixed conditions on an unsettled week. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday, 2 November 2025
plit image showing a double rainbow over a rocky shoreline on the left and sheep grazing in a green field under stormy clouds on the right.
Sunday, 2 November 2025

Your weather - Your shots

Mixed conditions on an unsettled week
A frozen start to the weekend. Icy conditions. . . Friday, 13 February 2026
UK temperature map dated 14.02 showing widespread subzero values in blue shading, with readings such as −4 in Glasgow, −3 in Dublin, and −2 in London, alongside a blue thermometer icon.
Friday, 13 February 2026

Icy conditions

A frozen start to the weekend
Turbulent weather in the Canary Islands. Storm and rain. . . Friday, 12 December 2025
Weather graphic showing rain and wind fields over the Canary Islands and a central warning symbol.
Friday, 12 December 2025

Storm and rain

Turbulent weather in the Canary Islands
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList