Photo: Nick Lippert

Take a look at this: a phenomenal sunrise of Mt. Rainier in Washington state, where the volcano actually casts a sky shadow on the clouds!

From Seattle's Komo News:

Mt. Rainier has quite a few tricks up its sleeve for adding additional beauty to the Pacific Northwest, from the majestic snow-capped peaks, to the mysterious lenticular cloud displays.

But another trick it pulls off during the fall and winter is to cast a big shadow on a brilliant sunrise.

It only happens when the sun rises farther to the south as we head toward the winter solstice and has to be in the exact position to where Rainier blocks the first rays of morning light.

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– via Bad
Astronomy

Dark Roasted Blend has a very nifty gallery of some of the neatest optical illusions you’ll see today. I particularly like this one above, Shadow Illusion by Francis Tabary – a set of hanging letters which shadows spell different things depending on the direction of the illuminations.

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You might remember Biola University professor Matthew Weathers from his Halloween prank video last year. He also went the extra mile for April Fools Day. Even the university president got involved! -via Buzzfeed

I saw that "chalk shadow art" is making the round on the Net, without attribution or explanation (sigh). So, with a little Googling, I found the back story to the phenomenon:

Earlier this year, Mr. Gallagher was mugged on his way home from a shift at Bar Tabac on Smith Street, where he worked as a waiter. "I turn around and this guy’s got a two-foot machete in my face," he said.

Mr. Gallagher was unhurt and the mugger was later caught by the police, but one night soon after the mugging, with the image of his attacker’s dark silhouette still burned into his memory, Mr. Gallagher was mesmerized by a shadow on the sidewalk. He reached into his pocket and felt the chalk he had used to write the outdoor menu at Bar Tabac, and he dropped to his knees to outline it.

Shadow art was born.

Now Mr. Gallagher heads out on foot or on his bike with a backpack full of chalk, looking for shadows to trace. When he tells you that "everything is fair game," he means it. He has traced everything from hydrants to whole city blocks.

Conrad Mulcahy of The New York Times has the story: Link

Tim Nobel and Sue Webster creates amazing shadow effects using piles of trash.

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