Belt of Venus

The Belt of Venus is a pink or reddish band of twilight sky above Earth’s dark shadow near the horizon. It appears when sunlight scattered through the atmosphere illuminates the sky opposite the Sun.

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Earth's shadow: Earth’s shadow is the dark region cast into space when Earth blocks sunlight. The band appears directly above this shadow as twilight advances.
Horizon: The horizon is the apparent boundary between Earth or sea and the sky. The band is seen just above the horizon opposite the Sun.
Alpenglow: Alpenglow is a reddish illumination on mountains or clouds near sunrise or sunset. Unlike the Belt of Venus, it appears on landscape or clouds rather than as a sky band.
Atmospheric optics: Atmospheric optics studies how light interacts with Earth’s atmosphere to produce visual phenomena. The Belt of Venus is a clear example of atmospheric optics at twilight.
Rayleigh scattering: Rayleigh scattering is the scattering of light by particles much smaller than its wavelength. It helps explain why the twilight sky glows red and pink.
Solar elevation angle: Solar elevation angle is the Sun’s angular height above or below the horizon. It determines the twilight geometry in which the band becomes visible.
Earth's umbra: Earth’s umbra is the fully shadowed central region of its shadow. The Belt of Venus lies above the shadow, not within its darkest central region.
Sky photography: Sky photography is the photographic recording of atmospheric and celestial scenes. Photographers capture the band’s color and its alignment with Earth’s shadow.
Atmospheric refraction: Atmospheric refraction is the bending of light as it passes through layers of air with different densities. It affects the paths of sunlight reaching the atmosphere near the horizon.
Atmosphere: An atmosphere is the layer of gases surrounding a celestial body. Earth’s atmosphere scatters the light that produces the band.