If there's a beautiful sunrise or sunset, our attention is usually drawn toward it. But if we can resist or interrupt that temptation and look the other way, we are often treated to something special: the antitwilight arch, or what is often referred to as the Belt of Venus. This view from the elevated Blue Ridge Parkway toward the northwest clearly shows that phenomenon. The blue band just above the horizon and below the pink glow is Earth's shadow cast upon water vapor and particulates (aerosols) in the atmosphere. As the sun rises, that shadow drops below the horizon; the opposite occurs at sunset. The pink glow is from that portion of the spectrum of sunlight -- the longer wavelengths -- that are refracted (bent) most by the atmosphere. Another image that shows the Belt of Venus is Image #9372.