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This sunrise on the coast of Fuengirola, in Malaga, leads us to ask ourselves in Las Fotos de los Lectores de La Vanguardia the following: How many shapes does the sun have?...
The main image that we perceive of the sun is round, but many times it acquires another geometry, as can be seen in this series of snapshots. Why?
Well, because the sun's rays are deflected when passing through the earth's atmosphere. This is an optical phenomenon known as "refraction" and the angle that light is bent after passing through the Earth's atmosphere is known as the "angle of refraction".
Refraction is the change in direction and speed that a wave experiences when passing from one medium to another with a different refractive index. It is also very well observed with respect to the sun when, for example, the so-called Omega effect occurs.
This spectacular phenomenon is formed when the air, in contact with the surface, very dense and at the same time warmer, produces the refraction of light, which deforms the sun and creates the mirror effect, which then takes the shape of an Etruscan vase, like said the writer Jules Verne.
In this last series of photographs, we see how the optical effect of perspective leads us to think about the image of the sun going down the stairs of this aid station on the Fuengirola beach.
