Sunset at 30,000 Feet

Have you ever seen a sun sandwich? You know, a layer of clouds below the sun and a layer of clouds above the sun, kind of like a golden oreo?

As I was flying out of Seattle, through a solid cloud deck, the airplane emerged from the lower cloud deck and I was treated to a sight I'd never seen before: the sun, sandwiched between two solid layers of clouds. As I watched, the sky turned gloriously rosy and the sun sank beneath the clouds. It was the most unusual sunset I've ever watched.

See the article by Michael Pidwirny, PhD, of the University of British Columbia for a scientist's explanation (and an even prettier picture) of layers in our atmosphere.