Hey Ray! Explaining Crepuscular Rays Of Sunshine

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Sometimes, we see the light from the sun come down in beams of light.

Not necessarily the beams of light that my cat, Bokey, naps in all day.

More like the beams that people include when drawing a picture of the sun.

These rays of sunshine are called crepuscular rays.

Most often, they are seen around sunrise or sunset, when the sun in lower in the sky, and when there are clouds, and even sometimes terrain, blocking the light.

This creates some shadows, making for beams of light, as the sun shines through haze caused by moisture or impurities, like dust, in the atmosphere.

It is easy to make your own crepuscular rays at home. All you need is a piece of cardboard, and something to poke holes in it, a flashlight, and a candle.

This will use some fire, so make sure you are with a responsible adult when you do this experiment.

Next, find a dark spot to light your candle, then shine the flashlight through the holes of the cardboard.

When you blow out the candle, your crepuscular rays will appear in the candle's smoke!

You can move your cardboard and flashlight around to get different crepuscular rays.

Now you know what those sunbeams are called, and how to make them!