East Coast Sunset Mystery
East coast sunset? Is that possible? Yes it is. No trickery here. There’s only water between this beach (North Carolina outer banks) and Europe. Anyone that can figure it out gets … well nothing, except the satisfaction of having figured it out. Answer will be posted Thursday evening.
Update: Picture wasn’t taken from the west side of an island.
This photo was taken last week during what the locals call a severe storm, a windstorm. I’ve been out there before when a hurricane was passing off shore, and this actually seemed worse. The news was reporting winds up to 50 mph, but mind you these winds blew for hours, unrelenting. Realistically though it was more like steady winds at 50 mph with higher gusts and with lulls down to 35 mph. It was difficult standing on the beach, blowing sand, and sea mist, and foam from the waves.
When I got back to the hotel the camera got a very gentle cleaning, blow off the sand and dust with a puffer around every seam on the lens, the bayonet mount area, and then wipe with warm wet cloth. It seems to have survived the abuse by the beach. Also had to shake the sand out of every pocket of my clothing, and use a lot of eye drops to flush out the sand, which had no trouble getting into my eyes despite being covered by my Walmart sunglasses covering my seeing glasses.
January 14th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Well I had to do some research on this one. I believe you took this near Oak Island, NC. Good one, I loved it.
The photo is awesome, even if you don’t know it’s taken on the east coast. I wouldn’t have had the patience to take it, I hate wind.
January 14th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Magnificent shot, I love everything about this photo. Well done.
Cheers!
Regina In Pictures
January 14th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
OOOHH, my camera and lenses need your touch. I have no clue. THis photo is just gorgeous. You need to stay here with us. Why go back to all that cold nonsense??? The balmy south awaits you…..
January 14th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
What a sacrifice you made for this incredible sunset. Wow!
January 15th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
As i live over the other side of the big pond I have no idea where it was taken. however I know it can be done as I have a few east coast sunsets myself. One good thing about Ireland is that you can wake up in the morning and take a image of sunrise and then travel across the country (about 3-4 hours) and capture sunset in the same day with a couple of stops along the way.
Sorry Snapshutter, nice image, well done.
Regards Neil
January 15th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Stunning. Lovely colors. It looks like it was well worth the effort. I love the Outer Banks although it has been years since I was there last.
We can witness sunsets over the Delaware Bay at Sunset Beach in Cape May. The bay is really wide there and it is beautiful.
January 15th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Fantastic photo!I love the Sea!Great to see!
January 15th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
What an awesom shot, fantastic, I love it.
January 15th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
I really like the colors in this one. I can’t wait until it gets warmer so I can see a sun rise or sunset over a lake.
January 15th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Wonderful.
Lovely scene and moment.
January 15th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Awesome sunset! you are on a cove where the turn of the landscape turns toward the south and west. Also may have something to do with the tilt of the earth. I know from our dock, the sun sets more toward the south than west in late autumn when the days grow shorter.
January 15th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Amazing!
January 15th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Well, several figured it out. To those that live in areas like this it was pretty obvious. For inlanders though it takes a little more work, and Dusty figured it out. The beach (Atlantic Beach near Beaufort) runs essentially east-west at this point . So when you think you’re looking south (the east coast essentially runs north-south, right?), you really are looking more or less west when you look along the beach. Now if the earth were flat, you’d actually see land where the sun is setting, as the beach eventually does curve back down to the south following the general north-south line of the east coast, but because of the curvature of the earth the distant shore is actually below the horizon.
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January 16th, 2009 at 1:38 am
A wonderful sunset with that glow around the sun.
January 16th, 2009 at 6:11 am
Very beautiful colored sunset. Happy weekend and SkyWatch!
January 16th, 2009 at 8:27 am
Wow, this is SPECTACULAR! Lucky you to have been on the spot and captured it! Oh, and if you go back to that place in the summer and you have very good eyesight, you might just see me waving at you from across the pond ;)
January 17th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
This is one of my Favs, love the colors and the perspective..
Brookie
January 18th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Stunning capture!