Author Topic: Mystery spot on clouds  (Read 6194 times)

Offline Flookie

  • Venus
  • **
  • Posts: 28
Mystery spot on clouds
« on: February 07, 2017, 09:13:50 PM »
My knowledge of film and photography are minimal so I wasn't able to provide an epxlanation when somebody come up with this video and a frame taken from it:

At about 2:28 there's a yellow spot appears "under" the sun on the clouds and this guy is claiming it means the sun is close to the clouds. I wouldn't expect to get such a well-defined spot if it really was but I can't think of what would cause it (other than the video being doctored). What am I missing?

Offline Bryanpoprobson

  • Jupiter
  • ***
  • Posts: 827
  • Another Clown
Re: Mystery spot on clouds
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2017, 01:55:16 AM »
It's a reflection from a body of water not a hot spot on the clouds. Plus the other nonsense about convex and concave as the camera rocks, is a feature of aberration from a poor quality camera lens.
"Wise men speak because they have something to say!" "Fools speak, because they have to say something!" (Plato)

Offline Flookie

  • Venus
  • **
  • Posts: 28
Re: Mystery spot on clouds
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2017, 05:50:02 PM »
Thanks. Why yellow - is it a matter of what wavelengths have been absorbed by the water in the lake and clouds?

Offline ka9q

  • Neptune
  • ****
  • Posts: 3014
Re: Mystery spot on clouds
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2017, 10:40:27 PM »
Most likely the atmosphere. Rayleigh scattering preferentially acts on shorter wavelengths, which is why the daytime sky is blue and sunsets are yellow/orange/red because the blue has been scattered out of the direct path.