In a tranquil scene defying Lake Superior’s harsh reputation, the lake mirrors the rising summer moon. [The photographer somehow defied hundreds of voracious mosquitoes; but that’s another story altogether!] The band of moonlight bouncing off the water’s surface is actually a composite of reflections from thousands of small waves; if this were a movie, you would see glimmering on the water. The transition in the reflection band farther offshore marks the edge of a zone of waves of much different size and/or dominant phase, the waves in the gap being configured such that the reflection is not seen from this angle. Experienced sailors use clues like this to alert them to changes in wind or sea state.
4 SW Two Harbors MN (26 Jul 99) Looking E
46.9669, -91.7576Lake Superior Moonrise
In a tranquil scene defying Lake Superior’s harsh reputation, the lake mirrors the rising summer moon. [The photographer somehow defied hundreds of voracious mosquitoes; but that’s another story altogether!] The band of moonlight bouncing off the water’s surface is actually a composite of reflections from thousands of small waves; if this were a movie, you would see glimmering on the water. The transition in the reflection band farther offshore marks the edge of a zone of waves of much different size and/or dominant phase, the waves in the gap being configured such that the reflection is not seen from this angle. Experienced sailors use clues like this to alert them to changes in wind or sea state.
4 SW Two Harbors MN (26 Jul 99) Looking E
46.9669, -91.7576