Explosion over the Gulf of Mexico? Nope, it was just a trick of light at sunset
Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico turned ominous Wednesday, when an Alabama photographer caught what seemed to be an atomic bomb test cloud on the horizon.
It was just a trick of light and cloud, however.
Wildlife photographer Steve Cole says he was standing on Alabama’s Dauphin Island, 35 miles south of Mobile, when a typical sunset began to morph into a growing cloud of fiery light.
“The clouds made the sun appear to melt into the Gulf of Mexico tonight,” Cole said. “When I noticed how wispy the clouds were and the colors, I knew it would be great.”
Cole, who lives on the island, says it lasted around two minutes, and he took about 10 photos from start to finish.
The resulting images, some of which were shared on Facebook, captured a rare mix of overlapping optical illusions.
Sunsets are themselves one big optical illusion “because atmospheric refraction allows us to see the Sun around the curvature of the Earth,” according to Science Connected Magazine. “The Sun’s apparent size and shape are also optical illusions. ... Particles in the atmosphere from clouds ... can also affect how sunlight is transmitted.”
As a result, some of Cole’s photos show something remarkably similar to an atomic bomb test cloud from the 40s and 50s: “The iconic mushroom cloud begins as a fireball, a luminous bubble of extremely hot air and vaporized weapon residues,” according to a report by Los Alamos National Laboratory. “The fireball rises like a hot-air balloon, pulling air, water vapor and debris into its base.”
Reaction to Cole’s photo on social media has been one of awe, with some calling the image “unbelievable” and “breathtaking.”
He says the unusual photo was actually captured by accident. He was trying to get a more traditional sunset photo, as a birthday gift for a friend, Stacy Bryan of Oklahoma, who had to postpone a trip to Dauphin Island. She loved the photo.
“My heart is full,” Bryan posted on Facebook, with a copy of his sunset photo. “God sent me an amazing sunset on Dauphin Island tonight. ... Almost as good as being there.”
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Explosion over the Gulf of Mexico? Nope, it was just a trick of light at sunset."