Belt of Venus as seen early twilight - Photo taken from Potter's Marsh Parking lot - Anchorage, AK



I was showing a couple of my sunrise pix to one of the guys in the office here in Anchorage and he told me that the coloration of the sky that I captured in my photos was due to the Earth's shadow and the occurrence is commonly called The Belt of Venus.  I had never heard of that before so I thought it was worth researching.  Here's an excerpt from a website called "everything2.com that covers this phenom in more detail...

"The Belt of Venus is the term given to a band of usually pink or reddish pink color that stretches across the sky just above the dark blue band that hugs the horizon during twilight.  The sky above the belt is its normal blue hue but, due to the setting or rising sun,  the light reflected near the horizon takes on the reddish hue that most of the sky has when the sun is still visible for the first or last time during the day.

The Belt of Venus isn't an uncommon phenomenon.  Chances are you've seen it and probably never gave much thought about it. The Belt of Venus isn't visible during every twilight period, as the cloudier  the sky is, the less noticeable the belt will be. Clouds, especially near the horizon, alter the way in which light is reflected and prevent the belt from being formed.

The ideal situation for seeing the Belt of Venus is a clear but dusty sky during the twilight hours. The more dust present in the sky, the more light will be reflected. The belt can be seen best facing the opposite direction of the sun (face east at dusk and west at dawn).

The Belt of Venus has also been called the anti-twilight arch. The belt of dark blue-to-black coloration beneath the belt is known as the twilight wedge. The twilight wedge is the result of Earth's shadow created by the sun.

The Belt of Venus is presumably named such because it appears in the portion of the sky in which Venus would be visible during the morning and evening.

Sources:
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011209.html
http://www.weather-photography.com/Atmospheric_Optics/venus_belt.html
http://www.weather-photography.com/Atmospheric_Optics/twilight_wedge.html
http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/zhuxj/www/astronomy/atmosphere/atmosphere.html#earthshadow
and many other webpages with the same information."

Helen Simeonoff

A couple of weeks before Christmas I attended the annual Christmas Bazaar at the Alaska Native Heritage Center http://www.alaskanative.net/   here in Anchorage.  It's a great place to visit to learn about Alaska's Native cultures.  There are informational displays, hand sewn early native clothing and artifacts, and a gift shop to die for! 

There are all types of scheduled events held at the center and the Christmas Bazaar is definitely one to check out!  Native vendors filled up all of the available space in the building, their tables brimming with beautiful beadery, hand made seal skin mittens and gloves, parkas with glorious fur, ivory carvings, native plant salves, soaps and herbs.  Jewelry was everywhere, and the art, it was so beautiful!

As I was cruising, I came across a table full of boxes of framed prints created by local artist Helen Simeonoff. Helen is Sugpiaq (Alutiiq) from Kodiak, AK.  As an artist and art major, I have a great deal of appreciation for someone who has chosen to be different especially if they have created a signature style.  Helen has mastered artistic style!

Her works are some of the most colorful, creative, beautiful watercolors that I have ever seen.  I really had a hard time choosing, but I left the Center with four and they added just the right touch here in my new home.  What I really enjoy is the way she used color.  It's as if the Aurora has come alive in her subjects as well as in the background.  And her depiction of animals is just incredible!

Please do yourself a favor and check out her website by clicking on this link and viewing all of her  collection.   http://alaskakodiakwatercolor.com/