Sunburst (God Rays)
I often observe sunbursts in my area of Sydney (Campbelltown/Camden). This sky phenomenon known as "Crepuscular Rays" (God Rays) are visible shafts of sunlight that appear to "burst" from the sun, typically around sunrise or sunset (this particular observation was around 3 p.m.).
The "burst" effect is caused by sunlight passing through breaks in the cloud and lighting up water droplets in the sky. The light and dark parts of the sky give rise to a sun ray effect ("rising sun"). The fanning effect (diverging rays) is an illusion - the rays are actually parallel.
Sunburst observed at
Emerald Hills
The great irony for this part of the world is that two bitter antagonists (despite the commonality in humanity implied by this beautiful phenomenon) in World War 2, Japan and Australia, used the "rising sun" symbol in their military forces viz. the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy:
and the Australian Military Forces:
10 May
2026
Created by Clem Kuek
