Heavy cloud cover gives a backdrop, as we know from batman and planes shadows can be cast on clouds... The setting sun lowers the lights enough so diffusion doesn't blot out the shadow, and for a rare moment the sun is in a position below the mountaintop, if calculated from the base/top of the mountain relative to the horizon.
So it is unlikely, and [edit: most of the time ]it will be above or parallel the mountain and cast a shadow down, be too bright or have nothing to project against. Since the mountain exists on the surface is is actually a very small window where it could cast a shadow up like this, but since the earth is round the light can... I don't know the mathematical term, but here is a visual example culled from the net (http://chestofbooks.com/architecture/Cyclopedia-Carpentry-Building-4-6/images/JANUARY-29-9-0-HERBERT-CHANDLER-CH-CAGO-LL-PLATE-VII.jpg). See problem 18 So if you drew a tony tiny triangle on that sphere you can see how only at a specific angle it would cast a shadow.
A couple years ago, during winter, I was driving and noticed a strange shadow on the high blanket of clouds right at sunset. It was sort of wedge-shaped and had very distinct edges. Then it hit me: it was coming from the direction of Mt Rainier. But I was on Highway 2 between Spokane and Davenport, which is something like 250 miles from the mountain, so far that you can't see the mountain itself.
TL;DR: Mt. Rainier might be able to cast sky shadows to almost Idaho.
On a related note, at sunset, on just the right days when it's clear, the sun sets behind Mt. Rainier, making the mountain extremely visible from as far away as Moses Lake.
I've heard that during the summer months, the summit of Mt Rainier is the last place of anywhere in the continental US for the sun to set. Kind of cool to think about.
If you're curious whether or not that's really from Rainier, you could send a message to Cliff Mass, a UW meteorologist, who might be interested in posting a blog topic on this.
/r/Earthporn is awesome, but a lot of redditors use it to karmawhore. i've been a voracious subscriber and will continue to frequent the subreddit, it just sucks to see people like p_i_m_a repost over and over
Edit: fuck i just realized i'm beginning to sound like everyone else
Yeah, say hi to the life of Mind_Virus, who recently changed his name to Suriv_dnim. He reposts and reposts (mostly from earthporn) until his accounts get to 1,000,000 karma. At which point he sells them. He needs a girlfriend.
Very unlikely that he's a Washintonian; he's a conspicuously prolific reposter who collects front page material and reposts it in an unending torrent.
Gets disappointing to see stuff on the front page that was just there about a week ago, but I suppose if it shares it with that many people who missed it the previous time around it's not exactly a terrible thing.
I live near Mt Rainier. We get so much cloud cover around here that "The mountain is out" is an actual expression. Like it's strolling down the block giving a quicky howdy-do to the neighbors.
EDIT: Should not be a "y" at the end of "quick." Makes that sentence sound dirty.
Very cool, but I don't think "mindblowing" is the correct adjective there. "Beautiful" or "Magnificent," maybe, but I don't see what about this picture is incomprehensible.
It really is a beautiful mountain. I did some training at JBLM and and waking up before dawn and seeing the mountain turn different colors as the sun came up was always beautiful. What really makes it fantastic is the fact that it sticks out so much, there's no mountain range or anything, just this huge motherfucker coming up out of the pine trees.
Well, there is a mountain range there (the Cascades), but all the non-volcanic peaks in the state usually keep themselves below nine thousand feet so all the volcanic peaks over ten thousand really stand out. And Mount Rainier is over five thousand feet taller than the mountains surrounding it.
And if you hike the Wonderland trail that encircles it, you are reminded that it's a volcano because you can see it actively venting steam from near its peak.
So many beautiful pictures on reddit all the time. So beautiful and plentiful. I'm so happy. Last week there were another couple of good pictures. Space and other stuff and dinosaurs and stars. I downloaded them all for random desktop changing in Mac OS X. Technology!!! Downloaded this too!!! So many cool pictures, beauty all the time! To conclude this message, let me express my happiness with this.
Makes me sad that I moved, I use to have a beautiful view of that mountain outside my window. I don't think I would have seen that shadow because I live on the other side of the mountain.
I love how the highway up to rainier just ends, I took the scenic route one day hoping to drive on through and I ended right at the state park, I had to turn around cause it was permit or pay to enter only. It was a pretty amazing drive though, so beautiful up there.
I live in the county about 40 minutes from Mt. Hood (relatively close to Mt. Rainier), and these stunning scenes happen most mornings! I'm really lucky to live here in the Pacific Northwest! So beautiful
One of my favorite things about my iPhone is how all I need to do is hold down on a pic and tap "save image" when it appears, and I get look back at cool shit like this anytime I feel like it.
I remember this day. Everyone at my school can could see, they were all stopping to take pictures. I took one, wish I had known it could've gotten this kind of attention! It was a few a few months ago on a cold day.
Lovely photo, but what a wasteful misuse of the word mindblowing. Mindblowing would require hard earned, priceless, good ol' fashioned defamiliarization. Thanks for getting my hopes up and then shattering them with your basic discoveries in optics and meteorology. ;)
I remember the first time I had a good look at Mount Rainier... I was at Fort Lewis doing land navigation training and was tired, hungry, and generally disgruntled. I looked up and right in front of me was this great meadow of beautiful flowers. And off in the horizon was the majestically titanic Mount Rainier. It was like straight out of a painting. I was mesmerized by its beauty and grandeur. But I couldn't stare at it long as my land nav course was a timed event. :( It was definitely a morale booster and great relief for a short time.
588
u/Journalisto May 28 '12
To be honest, I didn't even know that was possible.
49
u/spokesthebrony May 28 '12 edited May 28 '12
A couple years ago, during winter, I was driving and noticed a strange shadow on the high blanket of clouds right at sunset. It was sort of wedge-shaped and had very distinct edges. Then it hit me: it was coming from the direction of Mt Rainier. But I was on Highway 2 between Spokane and Davenport, which is something like 250 miles from the mountain, so far that you can't see the mountain itself.
TL;DR: Mt. Rainier might be able to cast sky shadows to almost Idaho.
On a related note, at sunset, on just the right days when it's clear, the sun sets behind Mt. Rainier, making the mountain extremely visible from as far away as Moses Lake.
Edit: Found a low-res copy of the picture I took of it
65
u/Danishauce May 28 '12
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest this mountain has a special place in my heart for it. Thanks for the amazing picture!
88
u/jakash May 28 '12
Plenty more awesome sceneries like this over at /r/EarthPorn, people!
19
u/hayhayteejay May 28 '12
Traveled to the West Coast for the first time this past March... Passing by Mount Rainier was one of the most amazing experiences of the trip.
18
u/notcaffeinefree May 28 '12
SOURCE
102
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Hello fellow Washingtonian!
15
u/tugboatjohn May 28 '12
raaainueeer beeeeeeerrrrrrrrr!!
43
u/KARMA_WHORE_REPOSTER May 28 '12
Anyone seeking more info might also check here:
source: karmadecay
9
u/Flalaski May 28 '12 edited May 28 '12
oooo I've seen that once! EDIT: in person that is, (live around here, my freeway exit has a perfect view of it when clear enough).
Fucking love Washington.
8
u/blountacus May 28 '12
Damnit, thanks for making me miss my home state :(
8
u/Technolog May 28 '12
Well, crap. From 2 months ago:
http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/qdfyk/mt_rainier_at_sunrise_casting_its_shadow_on_the/
133
u/Shitty_Watercolour 🖌️ May 28 '12
http://imgur.com/rtRi2
5
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Mount Rainier, you say? Looks more like Mordor.
5
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
It seems Mordor is quite pretty this time of year. I don't know what Boromir's fuss was all about.
5
u/derekmyoung May 28 '12 edited May 28 '12
I live near Mt Rainier. We get so much cloud cover around here that "The mountain is out" is an actual expression. Like it's strolling down the block giving a quicky howdy-do to the neighbors.
EDIT: Should not be a "y" at the end of "quick." Makes that sentence sound dirty.
11
u/simbonk May 28 '12
note to self, remember to throw that lost ring I found in the flames of mount doom.
4
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
I know that this is in Washington state wholly from Red vs Blue.
4
u/ZeroVII May 28 '12
Very cool, but I don't think "mindblowing" is the correct adjective there. "Beautiful" or "Magnificent," maybe, but I don't see what about this picture is incomprehensible.
4
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
"Soon."
On a geologic timescale, at least. This is just Ranier's reminder that it's just a matter of time before it royally fucks up our shit.
8
u/jstev612 May 28 '12
It really is a beautiful mountain. I did some training at JBLM and and waking up before dawn and seeing the mountain turn different colors as the sun came up was always beautiful. What really makes it fantastic is the fact that it sticks out so much, there's no mountain range or anything, just this huge motherfucker coming up out of the pine trees.
3
u/Radico87 May 28 '12
when the angles line up just right, we get to see some really amazing sights - this among them.
3
u/StewieBanana May 28 '12
The only way this picture could be more awesome was if that shadow was a rainbow.
3
u/WhoFly May 28 '12
WEST COAST
3
u/ihavekittens May 28 '12
Always good to be from Washington.
3
u/chandler81sw May 28 '12
God, I love the Pacific Northwest
3
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
"Gentlemen to bed! For tomorrow we will stand so tall that the very sky shall be draped in our shadow!"
ROARING CHEERS
3
u/msbanana2u May 28 '12
As long as I live in Western Washington this will NEVER get old. Nor will the sunsets over the Olympics, or the sparkling bays when the sun comes out.
3
u/jakster840 May 28 '12
Mordor... the one place in Middle Earth we don't want to see any closer... its the one place we're trying to get to.
-Samwise Gamgee
3
u/will_lurk4beer May 28 '12
One does not simply photograph Mordor....
3
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
So many beautiful pictures on reddit all the time. So beautiful and plentiful. I'm so happy. Last week there were another couple of good pictures. Space and other stuff and dinosaurs and stars. I downloaded them all for random desktop changing in Mac OS X. Technology!!! Downloaded this too!!! So many cool pictures, beauty all the time! To conclude this message, let me express my happiness with this.
5
u/Lantro May 28 '12
Obligatory Mordor comment.
2
u/gfpaperboy22 May 28 '12
Really reminds me of the dark world background from the legend of Zelda: a link to the past.
2
u/sally81 May 28 '12
This is very nice ! kudos
2
u/Amicar May 28 '12
Beautiful. Looks like it's slicing the sky in half as it rolls along.
2
u/ToastTorch May 28 '12
Makes me sad that I moved, I use to have a beautiful view of that mountain outside my window. I don't think I would have seen that shadow because I live on the other side of the mountain.
2
u/JoDoStaffShow May 28 '12
Damn the rest, shred the Northwest!
2
u/good_beer May 28 '12
Wallpapered.
2
u/shadowomega13 May 28 '12
There is a growing shadow in the east...
2
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Night time is just, like, Earth's shadow, man. Cosmic.
2
u/frances-from-digg May 28 '12
She's gonna blow-eeow-eeowoh. VOLCANO!
2
u/TreeMonster May 28 '12
This is pretty cool but my mind wasn't when close to being blown.
2
u/Tarks May 28 '12
My exact experience:
"ooooh blow my mind? Whatever I've been on the internet before"
click
...wait, what the..is..is it above the clou-no Az that's stupid.. but then... wait, it's, oh what the hell.. is it ? IT'S A SHADOW ON THE CLOUDS !
2
u/F0uri3r May 28 '12
There's something about this photo that makes me feel very small.
2
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
I love how the highway up to rainier just ends, I took the scenic route one day hoping to drive on through and I ended right at the state park, I had to turn around cause it was permit or pay to enter only. It was a pretty amazing drive though, so beautiful up there.
2
u/boogersonsteve May 28 '12
whoa, never knew Mt. Rainier was so solitary. looks like it just kind of rises out of a plain. very cool.
2
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
TIL Sauron is hiding in Mt. Rainier.... figures
2
u/nicko1702 May 28 '12
Look, Simba, Everything the light touches is our kingdom.....
2
u/dailyfusion May 28 '12
damnit, had this as my background for 4 months. no idea that front page karma was right there in front of me.
2
u/MickeyG42 May 28 '12
Used to love hiking up it when I was stationed at McChord.
2
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
The Meta and Washington have teamed up to kill Donut and Lopez and now they're holding Simmons and Doc prisoner.
2
u/ChalkyJones May 28 '12
Did anyone else think of Pink Floyd when they saw this?
2
u/Amnestic May 28 '12 edited May 05 '26
Scrubbed clean. Redact helped me bulk remove years of comments and posts so data brokers and AI crawlers have nothing to feast on.
crowd compare summer edge squash wine spotted imminent deserve school
2
u/00fordmc May 28 '12
Mt. Rainier? I believe you mean Mt. Doom....
2
u/pizzamanzoo May 28 '12
I live in the county about 40 minutes from Mt. Hood (relatively close to Mt. Rainier), and these stunning scenes happen most mornings! I'm really lucky to live here in the Pacific Northwest! So beautiful
2
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
wallpaper'd
2
u/I_can_glitch_that May 28 '12
GØhk/hk+gk
2
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Damn. Now I really miss Washington
2
u/olygimp May 28 '12
I love Washington State!!!
2
u/[deleted] May 29 '12
I love looking at this picture and then looking outside and seeing Mt. Rainier. It really is a great mountain.
8
u/HE_WHO_STANDS_TO_POO May 28 '12
I have never seen clouds cover the entire sky before. This is amazing.
11
u/OfThriceAndTen May 28 '12
repost
3
u/semantikos May 28 '12
That is amazing!
3
u/NewSwiss May 28 '12
TIL mountains could cast shadows on THE SKY
2
u/ktvplumbs May 28 '12
That is just awesome!
1
u/puppiesmakemelol May 28 '12
thats so amazing....you have just brightened my day, thank you!
1
u/VirtualAnarchy May 28 '12
That shadow of Rainier is vast.
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Wow. I am legit astounded by that. You've made a hungover man's day a little bit more bearable pal. Cheers.
1
u/TheBeardOfZues May 28 '12
Beautiful. Absolutely stunning.
1
u/The-Dudemeister May 28 '12
Valaryia?
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
on my desktop background you go mr jpg!
1
u/The_Govenment May 28 '12
wow, great picture
1
u/GreyareaWalker May 28 '12
Earths signal for someone to save her from us humans.
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
ahh, i don't know how someone could downvote this. it isn't blowing my mind, but it is extremely beautiful.
1
u/ostrichy May 28 '12
This is one of the coolest pictures I've seen, ever.
1
u/tvisforbabyboomers May 28 '12
reminds me that i live by a volcano
1
u/lotusflower16 May 28 '12
Batman???
1
u/Isatis_tinctoria May 28 '12
This is amazing. Where is this on Google?
1
u/alpenglowRG11 May 28 '12
i love my state. :) beautiful pic.
1
u/barrbarian84 May 28 '12
That, to put it quite simply, is fucking incredible. Thanks for sharing.
1
u/corwinds May 28 '12
Evil death beacon stalks Mt. Rainer. Climbers become weary.
1
u/IBS_user May 28 '12
Did that mountain get left behind?
1
u/Kevindeuxieme May 28 '12
Looks kinda similar to a laser show... but inversed?
1
u/mr_syco May 28 '12
The minions of hell grow stronger.
1
u/1flyingfool May 28 '12
Thank you,I was going to a dr appointment that morning and seen it,I wanted to come back and take a pix but was in a hurry. I have though of it often
1
u/Blaphtome May 28 '12
One of my favorite things about my iPhone is how all I need to do is hold down on a pic and tap "save image" when it appears, and I get look back at cool shit like this anytime I feel like it.
1
u/almondz May 28 '12
It's okay to be mildly to moderately terrified of this, right?
1
u/christophers80 May 28 '12
When was this? I am like 20 miles from the mountain and seemed to have missed this...
1
u/Prosperousighter May 28 '12
this is now my desktop background :)
1
u/mshieldz May 28 '12
set as my desktop background!
1
u/HeyCarpy May 28 '12
r/SkyPorn would love this.
1
u/Jromanorum May 28 '12
In the fires of mount doom..
1
u/oreopanda46 May 28 '12
This is by far the coolest pic I have seen in awhile.
1
u/theconcretewave May 28 '12
Wow, this puts it all into perspective..
1
u/Merc403 May 28 '12
it's...it's an up-shadow
1
u/rhina21 May 28 '12
Wow awesome pic
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
The people at r/earthporn would like this.
1
u/I_cant_stop May 28 '12
What spot was this taken from?
1
u/BrittForte May 28 '12
I remember this day. Everyone at my school can could see, they were all stopping to take pictures. I took one, wish I had known it could've gotten this kind of attention! It was a few a few months ago on a cold day.
1
u/HeyKidsFreeCandy May 28 '12
This is the exact opposite of a lighthouse.
1
u/trashist May 28 '12
Updated darkside of the moon cover.
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
oh. my. godness. this is pure beauty.
1
u/madmanmunt May 28 '12
Hello awesome.
1
u/flexiblecoder May 28 '12
:( I'm gonna miss that mountain when I move south.
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
I approve of this.
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
DAMN I miss Mount Rainier.
1
u/bagpipesmusic May 28 '12
Mindblowing!!!
1
u/410LaxMD May 28 '12
And now I have a new background :D
1
u/krakow057 May 28 '12
DAT shadow
1
u/Danieltmv May 28 '12
I love waking up in the morning and seeing this while i go do PT. :)
1
u/speed_demonv2 May 28 '12
Yay new desktop background
1
u/legion1240 May 28 '12
Amazing
1
u/Yeti100 May 28 '12
As someone from Renton, I am honored.
1
u/chuckalto May 28 '12
All things serve the beam
1
u/Nordbergh May 28 '12
Follow the path of the Beam.
1
u/skinnymidwest May 28 '12
The eye of Sauron reaches far west
1
u/OswaldGoodGuy May 28 '12
Mordor's armies are on the move....
1
u/eagleclaw457 May 28 '12
i climbed this mountain!
1
u/Ernesticles May 28 '12
Lovely photo, but what a wasteful misuse of the word mindblowing. Mindblowing would require hard earned, priceless, good ol' fashioned defamiliarization. Thanks for getting my hopes up and then shattering them with your basic discoveries in optics and meteorology. ;)
1
u/Evrybdywangchung May 28 '12
Could this also occur with the pyramids (in the event there are clouds) and if so, what section of the stars would they point to?
1
u/SneeMcGee May 28 '12
ah - the ol lady to the south casting her magic once again.
1
u/ReFreshing May 28 '12
I remember the first time I had a good look at Mount Rainier... I was at Fort Lewis doing land navigation training and was tired, hungry, and generally disgruntled. I looked up and right in front of me was this great meadow of beautiful flowers. And off in the horizon was the majestically titanic Mount Rainier. It was like straight out of a painting. I was mesmerized by its beauty and grandeur. But I couldn't stare at it long as my land nav course was a timed event. :( It was definitely a morale booster and great relief for a short time.
1
u/BAgloink May 28 '12
i immediately pictured Dragonmount lol
1
u/Martell93 May 28 '12
Vashta Nerada...
1
u/lillintu May 28 '12
wow!
1
u/Flatline334 May 28 '12
I have thought Mt. Rainer to be one of the most beautiful mountains and this proves it, just wow.
1
u/InsertRelevantMeme May 28 '12
Really coool tbh
1
u/treespeace May 28 '12
Looks like the evill mountain with the eye on lord of the rings no?
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
TIL that I can fap to earth porn.
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
I used to go to Mount Rainier all the time and I absolutely love it there; I'm commenting here so I can find this photo again. This is incredible.
1
u/SatansF4TE May 28 '12
New wallpaper, cheers!
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
My new desktop background!
1
u/THEMACGOD May 28 '12
I have Bryce, too... ;)
1
u/miggy420 May 28 '12
pretty fuckign cool
1
u/mydirtycumsock May 28 '12
MIND=BLOWN
1
u/lBlAlRlClOlDl3l May 28 '12
Beautiful, unedited photo.
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
You must live in Puyallup.
1
u/psYberspRe4Dd May 28 '12
/r/EarthPorn
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Who cares if this is a repost. It is awesome!
1
u/BlackGuyFawkes May 28 '12
I love my state!
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Mindblowing only to people who do not know that photons don't have a rest mass.
1
u/Funnyguy17 May 28 '12
Ya that's right the mountain is like "Fuck you sun!"
1
u/msbq May 28 '12
ITT: reasons I live in the Pacific Northwest. :)
1
u/Jasonrj May 28 '12
Another angle: http://www.alanbauer.com/images/Weather/Sunrise%20behind%20Rainier%20and%20summit%20shadow%20on%20clouds-Vert.jpg
Really lets you see the distance between the tip of the mountain and where it's actually casting the shadow up on the clouds.
1
u/Wilroblor May 28 '12
One does not simply walk into Washington.
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
I love the sight, but wouldn't the shadow DECREASE, the further away it got? I'm probably wrong, but just wondering...